Dragons
by zoey04
Summary: Duo finds a wounded dragon in the forest behind his house, but… what do you do with an injured dragon? yaoi. Duo POV
1. Chapter 1

**So I know I promised this a few weeks ago, but I didn't get around to posting it until now. This isn't one of my favorites and I don't think it's very well written, but it was fun to write. So hope you enjoy it :)**

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><p>Chapter 1<p>

_Snap, snap, snap, thud!_

I bolted upright in bed, Heero mimicking. He was instantly alert, as was I. I climbed over the top of him and over to the window, scanning the dark forest in our backyard, looking for the source of the noise.

"What the hell was that?" Heero asked as I scanned the trees.

"I have no idea," I mused back, not seeing anything in the darkness.

Heero shrugged, then laid back down, pulling the sheets up over him.

"I'm going to go check it out," I told him, pulling on a shirt and my jeans.

"It's three in the morning, Duo. Go back to bed. It was probably nothing. Besides, you aren't supposed to be out of bed until that gunshot wound completely heals," Heero reminded me, his eyes still closed.

I pulled my 10 mm Glock out of the drawer next to the bed and slipped it into the waist band of my jeans, then pulled on my boots.

"I'm just going to go look. I'll be back in ten minutes at the most. Promise," I insisted, heading towards the door.

"Curiosity killed the cat," Heero mumbled, then, "Be careful please," as I closed the bedroom door behind me.

Even though it was three o'clock in the morning, it was the middle of summer and very warm. I grabbed only a flashlight as I headed out into the darkness. Crossing the small stretch of lawn, I made my way into the dense trees. Heading in the direction I had thought the crash had been, I kept the flashlight pointed down at the ground and continued through the thick underbrush and trees. It was a little further out than I had thought it would be, but eventually I came across a tree with its top snapped clean off. Another tree right in front of that one also had its top snapped off, but much lower down. My hand instinctively reached back to the butt of my gun. Continuing forward, I soon found the source of the damage. My jaw dropped and I wondered if this was actually all just a dream.

In front of me, stuck about twenty feet up the tree, was a ten foot tall, fifteen foot long dragon. One of its wings was torn and a tree branch was speared into one shoulder. Its silvery scales were spotted with blood and gashes. Blood dribbled out of its mouth and from large cuts in its face. It seemed to be dead, but then I realized that its chest was moving ever so slightly as it breathed.

"Oh… my… god…" I breathed, then took off back to the house. "Heero! Heero! You'll never believe this!" But then I stopped. What would Heero do with it? He'd probably kill it… I don't know why, but I didn't want to kill the dragon. I turned around and headed back to the beast.

I inched forward and reached out tentatively to touch the end of its tail that hung limply from its body. The dragon didn't even seem to register the touch, so I assumed that it was unconscious. More confident that the beast was unable to acknowledge my presence, I climbed the tree up to its head.

The beast remained out of it as I sat on the branch next to his head- which was about half the size of me- in a position to jump if the thing awoke. Leaning in, I opened the dragon's eyelid and shined the flashlight into its fist sized eye, looking for a reaction. Nothing. It was definitely knocked out. Next, I lifted its lip to see whether the bleeding was just a cut, or something internal. It was missing a few teeth and its gums were split, so it wasn't anything internal. Then I moved to examine the wounds on its head and neck, and soon realized that they weren't from the crash, but were teeth and claw marks.

I needed to fix him up. He would've bled out if I didn't do something. Shoving the flashlight into my pocket, I swung down from the tree, taking off towards the house. I hoped that Heero was actually asleep. I'd tell him about this eventually, but when I felt certain he wouldn't hurt the injured dragon.

Quietly sneaking into the house, I grabbed the first aid kit from the downstairs bathroom and a water bottle from the kitchen, then eased back out of the house. The beast was still out when I got back to the tree, laying in the same position as before. I decided to only bandage the severe wounds, not knowing if I had enough bandages for all of his wounds. I started with the large gash in his neck at the base of his skull. It looked like teeth marks and it was the worst, aside from the branch in its shoulder. I knew how to tend to severe wounds because of all the ones Heero and I received on our missions, or simply training in the backyard. But I had no idea how to treat wounds on dragons. Deciding that it was probably the same for them as it was for us, I started by cleaning out the wound with the water and antibacterial spray, then taped a sheet of gauze over it.

I continued to work like this, moving from wound to wound, for over an hour. The beast never stirred, and I started to worry that it was already too late. When I had finished with all the major wounds, I turned to his shoulder with a branch stuck in it. What could I do about that? I couldn't move this huge thing. Maybe if I waited until it woke up… No, I couldn't wait around for that. This beast wasn't going to like my presence.

"Duo?" Heero's voice suddenly echoed through the trees. "Duo?"

I froze. _Crap._ Tossing the kit down into the leaves, I followed it, my stomach searing from the healing bullet wound.

"Duo? Where did you go?" Heero called again, a little bit closer.

Quickly burying the kit in the leaves, I ran towards the direction of his voice. He couldn't see this. Not yet. I'd explain later if I had to, but the beast would probably be gone soon anyway.

I slowed to a walk when I got closer to him. "I'm here babe," I called to him, trying to sound nonchalant.

He then appeared out of the trees and hurried towards me.

"Are you okay? What was it?" he asked me.

"I didn't find anything," I lied, following him back to our house.

"You've been out here for an hour and a half," he informed me, checking his watch.

"Huh. Didn't realize it was that long," I lied again, and hated it.

"You didn't find anything?" he pressed. "Because I highly doubt that we _both_ imagined it."

I shrugged. "Perhaps it was a bear falling out of a tree, or something."

"Maybe," he agreed, letting it drop.

We were quiet as we walked back into the house, kicking off our boots, and climbing back into bed for a few more hours. Heero's alarm woke me two hours later and I rolled over to him, wrapping my arms around his bare waist.

"Do you _have_ to go to work? I hate being here alone," I teased, kissing his collar bone.

"I would stay if I could, but I have a debriefing in an hour," he frowned, pulling me into him.

I sighed as he released me with a kiss and got ready for work. Pulling the blankets over my head, I pretended that I was going back to bed as he left. Once I heard the sound of the truck rolling down the driveway, I threw back the covers and hopped out of bed. I pulled back on my clothes and boots, then thought about what to do with the dragon.

He needed to be fixed up, but he needed to be awake for that to happen. He needed a muzzle of some sort. I headed into the basement, past the makeshift gym and over to a work station. It was covered in scrap metal and dismembered guns and machinery. In about an hour, I was able to make a thick cuff with a hinge and a lock that locked on contact. There were chains on the sides of the muzzle from whatever it had been before, but I didn't take them off. They could come in handy. Shoving the key into my pocket, I hurried out to the dragon with the muzzle.

It was still there and still knocked out. Only the rise and fall of its chest letting me know that it was still alive. Carefully climbing the tree, I put the muzzle around the middle of its head past the frill on its chin, then snapped it shut, the lock instantly locking. What I wasn't prepared for, was its eye flashing open and it tossing up its head. My hands were still gripping the chains on the cuff as it swung its head around, trying to free itself of the muzzle. It snorted and huffed and thrashed, causing it to fall from the tree. It landed agilely on all four feet, despite the branch still stuck into its shoulder, and continued to swing and toss its head.

Pain shot through my abdomen as I felt the almost healed bullet wound starting to rip open, but I ignored it and held on tight, the metal chains stinging on the soft flesh of my hand. When the beast finally calmed down, I took the opportunity to let go and plummet ten feet into the leaves under me. The beast panted heavily and seemed tense and in pain as it watched me intently, its slits of pupils boring into me. The frills on the sides of his head, under his chin, on his spine, and at the end of his tail flashed open and closed. His wings raised and opened slightly, and his lips parted to show off rows of razor sharp teeth. He was trying to appear as threatening as possible. I raised my hands above my head and lowered my gaze, trying to appear as non-threatening as possible. He shifted his weight off of his injured leg, but tried to hide his weakness.

"Um… you're hurt. Can I… uh, can I help you?" I asked the beast, feeling stupid for trying to communicate with it.

It didn't waver from its threatening posture, or relax from his defensive position. I should've gotten out of here. He was injured and confused and I was a threat. But the fact that he needed help kept me from taking off into the forest. So, keeping one hand above my head, I reached with the other one to grab the medical kit. The beast hissed, watching my every move over the metal cuff on its snout.

_This is so stupid_, I chastised. _I'm sooo dinner._

I eased over to the dragon's shoulder and he tried to snap at me, but the cuff held. The beast startled and tried to pry off the cuff with his good arm. In his distraction, I grabbed the branch as thick as my arm and pulled. It popped out of his arm with a sickening suction sound and the dragon snarled, scrambling backwards, but unable to bare weight on his leg, causing him to crash to the ground. The wound wasn't nearly as deep as I had thought it would be, but, considering his shoulder's absolute zero tolerance for weight, the shoulder blade was broken. He wasn't going anywhere, I realized when I noted it's hesitance to put pressure on its right back leg as well. This also meant that he couldn't take a swipe at me either, or he'd lose his balance and fall over.

The dragon was dazed by the sudden onslaught of pain and I took that opportunity to try and bandage his shoulder. I got it cleaned out and disinfected with the dragon hissing at me the entire time. Pulling a thick thread and a curved needle out of the kit, I quickly sutured the hole in his shoulder, then taped a gauze pad over it.

I backed away as soon as I was done and the dragon took a defensive stance, growls rumbling deep in his chest. He attempted to stand again, but fell back onto his tail. He flapped his wings, but the holes in his wings didn't allow for any lift. He was stuck here.

My cell suddenly started to ring and I cursed as the dragon startled, throwing up his head and snarling. His eyes were wide and his nostrils flared, his frills flashing. I pulled out my cell quickly.

"What?" I demanded, a little harsher than I meant it to be.

"It's me," Heero responded, sounding irritated and nervous.

"Oh, hey babe. What's up?" I asked him, my mood instantly lightening, but it was short lived as the dragon's slits watched me warily.

"I had to come back to the house to get something and imagine my fear when I realized you weren't here. Where the hell are you?"

"Taking a walk," I lied quickly. The second he had told me he was at home, I was running.

"Sure you are. Please come back. I don't want you reopening your stitches. Po will kill me and I will kill you. I promised her that I'd keep you in bed."

"I like that promise," I grinned. I looked down at my now blood soaked shirt and cringed. There was no way I'd be able to hide this from him. Sighing, I told him, "Too late. I'm bleeding."

"What? Where are you, Duo? I'm coming to get you," he insisted, his voice no longer irritated, but completely concerned.

"I'm almost there," I laughed, trying to keep him from totally freaking out as I moved through the thinning trees.

"How the hell did you open the wound?" he asked me and I could here him rummaging through drawers, probably hunting down a first aid kit.

"I tripped."

"You need to be more careful, my love, or I swear I'm going to tie you up," he threatened.

"Was that a threat or a promise?" I teased with a smile.

"A threat. Now get your ass back here."

"I'm here," I told him, hanging up.

The second I was through the door, Heero was pulling off my shirt and wiping off my stomach with a damp paper towel. When he sprayed the wound with the antibacterial spray, I flinched with a hiss as it burned in the open flesh. He mumbled an apology, then pulled out a curved needle and surgical thread and started to stitch me up.

"Who keeps surgical thread and stitching needles in their house?" I joked as he tied it off.

"People who live with people like you," he answered as he stood. "You need to take better care of yourself."

"Yes, mom," I mocked, rolling my eyes at him with a smile.

"Please? What would've happened if I hadn't come home? Would you have been able to re-stitch yourself?"

"Myself? No, probably not," I answered, rubbing the back of my neck.

"Exactly. Please be more careful," he asked, leaning in to give me a quick kiss before leaving.

I went into the kitchen and grabbed a pound of ground beef, then went back out to the dragon. I wouldn't stay long though, I decided. Heero was right. If he hadn't come back, then a lot more damage could've been done. I had no problem stitching other people up, but for some reason, I couldn't stitch myself. I'd just go feed him, hopefully gaining an ounce of trust, then come back and rest.

When I got to him, he was sleeping. Still a good ways away from him, I made some noise, alerting him to my presence so not to startle him. His eyes shot open and he stared at me, raising his head off the ground quickly, the chains clanking against the cuff and growls echoing deep in his throat. I pulled off a chuck of the meat and tossed it to him. He sniffed it and was able to suck it into the small opening of his jaw, swallowing it whole. I tossed him a few more chunks and he ate it eagerly. With the last piece, I attempted to hand feed him since he couldn't bite me, but he backed away, hissing. I tossed it to him and he sucked it up. When it was all gone, I turned to leave. The dragon stepped forward and sniffed my back. I froze, feeling the heat of his breath on my bare back.

He sniffed me again, but then backed away, satisfied that I had no more meat. I hurried away, back to the house, not wanting to get hurt any further and ruin Heero's trust in me.

At home, I eased myself into the couch, turning on my computer. My cell rang and I fished it out of my pocket.

"Maxwell," I answered, resting my phone between my shoulder and ear.

"Hey boss. How you holding up?" my second asked me.

"Well Heero just had to re-stitch me," I told him with a frown.

"So you'll be out for another week then?" he asked, disappointed.

"Yeah, probably," I grimaced.

"Well keep in shape sir, cause we have a mission in ten days."

"Really?" I asked, pulling up my email. Sure enough, there was the email. "Crap. When is the meeting?"

"Tomorrow. Will you be there?"

"Heck yeah. I don't go and they'll replace me," I smiled. "Well, I'd better go work out. I haven't touched a set of weights since the accident."

"Careful not to rip your stitches."

"Yes sir," I teased, standing.

He hung up and I took my phone and my laptop down into the basement and eased myself back into a bench press. I took off about one hundred pounds, leaving it with about one hundred and slowly started to lift it. My stomach protested slightly, but I ignored it. After only fifty reps though, it became too much and I had to stop before I ripped my stitches.

As I was chugging a bottle of water, I realized that the dragon didn't have any water. I grabbed a backpack and filled it with water bottles, then headed out.

The dragon was lying on its side, its shredded wings spread out along the ground. He wasn't sleeping and his eyes were on me the second I stepped out of the trees. He straightened up and took a defensive position, his useless front arm dangling in front of him and his wounded back leg tucked safely underneath him. I took a step towards him and he bared his teeth under the muzzle. I pulled out a water bottle and took off the top. Setting the open bottle upright on the ground, I backed away. He suspiciously nosed the open bottle, causing it to fall over and him to flinch back. I picked it up and drank some of it, showing him that it was safe. He watched me intently, realizing what the bottle was. Once I placed the half empty bottle back on the ground, he tentatively leaned forward and took the bottle in his lips. He tipped his head back and the rest of the water disappeared down his throat. I gave him five more bottles before he had had enough.

Then, for the first time since he had woken up, he relaxed his stance and laid down while in my presence. He kept his eyes intently on me and his stance was still tense and ready to react, but he seemed much less wary of me. I sat down with my back to a tree, relaxing along with him to make him more comfortable.

"I need to tell Heero about you," I sighed, running my hand through my messy bangs.

The dragon suddenly jumped at a bird flying by, nearly breaking the tree he was next to. He then laid back down, a grimace on his face as he watched the bird flutter off. I laughed.

"I'll wait until after you're calmer."

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><p><strong>I know the chapters are pretty short, so I'll try to post a couple chapters a day. There are only 8 chapters so I should have the whole thing posted after a few days. Hope you liked it. Please review :)<br>**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

"I need to go to work with you," I told Heero between kisses, his arms wrapped around my waist.

"Why?" he asked, rolling so that he was on top of me and kissed down my neck and chest.

"Just have something to take care of," I told him, running my fingers through his messy dark brown hair.

"Hmm," he mumbled into my neck.

"Actually, I say we call in sick today," I teased, hugging his strong body to me.

Heero chuckled against my lips. "Tempting, definitely tempting, but I have a meeting today."

"Damn. Well, I tried," I smiled, giving him a deep kiss before he climbed off of me.

"How is your stomach holding up?" he asked as he pulled on his uniform slacks.

I looked down at my abdomen, at the slight swelling and redness the size of my fist. It stung, but when I was preoccupied with Heero or the dragon, I didn't seem to notice it. But now that he pointed it out and I thought about it, it hurt and was itchy.

"Uh, it's annoying," I answered simply, not wanting him to worry.

"Any more of an appetite?" he asked.

"Yes, but it's not like I'm allowed to eat much," I frowned. The bullet had penetrated my stomach, so I wasn't allowed to eat meat and numerous other things. My diet until I healed had to consist of bread, soft fruits and vegetables, grains, and protein supplements. It sucked.

"Well, be more careful and it'll heal faster," he told me, leaning over to see if the wound was closing. "It looks like it's healing pretty well."

"Thank you, doctor Yuy," I joked and sat up.

"Get ready. We messed around too long and we're going to be late," Heero responded, tossing me my slacks and pulling on his button down and Preventers jacket.

I followed him into the kitchen and stuck a piece of bread in the toaster. He started the coffee and made his way to the gun cabinet, pulling out our service pistols.

"I just need to be there for an hour or so," I told him, sticking my toast in my mouth and hunting around for a coffee mug.

"Well, if you don't mind hanging around until lunch break, then I can take you home," Heero offered, taking my toast from my mouth, took a bite, then put it back in my mouth.

I glared at him as I poured my coffee into the mug. He laughed and grabbed our car keys. I smacked him on the butt before taking the toast out of my mouth and eating it.

My cell started to ring and I fumbled with my coffee and toast, before pulling out the phone and shoving it between my ear and shoulder.

"Maxwell," I answered, climbing into the passenger side of the truck.

"Where are you?" my second asked. "Meeting is in an hour."

"I'm on my way. I'll be there in forty," I promised, hanging up.

"Cain?" Heero guessed.

"Yeah. He's very impatient," I answered, taking a bite of toast.

The forty minute drive to the headquarters was quiet. I thought a lot about the dragon and if he was doing okay. Well, I'd be back by lunch and I could go check on him. Maybe I could get Heero to stop at the store on the way back so I could get some more meat for him, since he wasn't exactly feeding himself. I almost told Heero about the dragon a few times, but I bit my tongue. If I showed him the dragon while it was still defensive and threatening, he'd probably kill it. But, if he sees him when he's calmer and more relaxed, he might not kill him.

Heero parked the car in the garage and shut it off. Once in the building, Heero turned and headed towards his office and I continued to the conference room. Cain was already there and I sat down next to him just as Une walked in. She raised an eyebrow at me just as Heero walked in behind her.

"What's going on?" I asked. Une never sent me on missions with Heero for two reasons. First, because of our relationship. Second, because neither one of us would stand to take a lower spot than leader, and two leaders in a single mission was suicide.

"I was just about to ask the same thing," Heero frowned, looking at Une.

"Did you get my email?" Une asked me.

"Yeah. It said that I had a mission in ten days," I answered, still confused.

"My second email. The one saying that you were off the mission," she told me.

"What? Why?" I demanded, shooting up out of my chair, causing my stomach to sear.

"You are still wounded. Agent Yuy is much more capable of taking this mission."

"I'm almost healed! In ten days I _will_ be healed!" I countered.

"Argue with me and I'll suspend you," Une threatened, her voice hard.

Without another word, I turned and stormed out of the room and down the hall. This was bullshit. They were treating me like a kid, and I didn't like that. As I stormed out of the building, I flagged down a cab.

"Where to?" the older man asked, completely disinterested.

I rattled off my address and as the cab pulled away, I remembered wanting to get something for the dragon to eat.

"Can we stop at the grocery store really quick? I just need to grab a few things," I asked him, counting my cash.

"Sure thing kid," he responded, turning into the parking lot.

"I'll be right back," I promised, heading into the store.

When he pulled up to the house, I tossed a wad of cash at him, then hurried into the kitchen. I took two pounds of the ground beef out of the bag and put the rest in the fridge. I also grabbed the backpack of water bottles before heading out to the dragon.

It was lying curled up with its head tucked under its wing up to its eye. When I approached, the eye opened and I heard it sniff.

"Yeah, that's right. I come bearing gifts," I laughed, opening up one of the packages and tossing him the contents.

He sucked up pieces at a time into his mouth, swallowing it eagerly. I opened a bottle of water for him and he drank it while I opened up the next package. I tossed him pieces of the ground beef, but then decided that I'd try hand feeding him, seeing just how far his little bit of trust extended. I put a chunk in my hand and took a few steps forward. He instantly raised his head, snarling and bearing its teeth. I lowered my gaze and turned my head away from him. He immediately calmed down and I continued to hold out my hand, offering the meat. I felt his hot breath on my hand, then the wet of his tongue slithering out and scooping up the meat. I smiled and looked back at him. The second he had the food in his mouth, he raised his head away from me. Well, that was a good start.

I sat back against the tree, keeping my eyes away from him to make him seem more comfortable. I thought about what had happened in the conference room and my anger suddenly came back to me.

"He doesn't think I can take care of myself," I frowned, looking up at the dragon.

He continued to watch me, his head resting on his good paw and the other tucked underneath him. His eyes were wary, but relaxed, clearly not minding my presence as much as he used to.

"I can take care of myself. I can take care of you without getting killed," I pointed out, but that got my mind on the track of dragons. "What exactly do you do with a dragon?"

The dragon huffed and closed one eye as if trying to sleep and keep an eye on me at the same time. It made me laugh, lifting my mood. When my cell rang, the dragon opened its eye, but didn't startle or flinch or anything.

"Maxwell," I answered, keeping my eyes away from the dragon so not to make it uncomfortable.

"Duo? Where are you?" Heero asked me.

"I went home. I was obviously not wanted there," I snapped back.

I heard him sigh. "I want you to know that I didn't know it was your mission. Une came to me with a last minute opening asking if I wanted it. She said that I wouldn't be working with my team, but didn't tell me who's team it was. If I had known she had thrown you from the mission, I wouldn't have taken it."

"That's okay," I sighed, leaning my head back against the tree. "I know you wouldn't have done this to me intentionally. Did Une give any other reason for taking me off the mission?"

"No. She's just not sure that you'd be one hundred percent by the deployment date," he responded.

"Well now I'm going to be home alone for five plus days," I pouted jokingly. Well, not exactly. I did have this beast to keep me company, but he didn't need to know that.

"Sorry, babe. It's a short one, I promise. I'll be gone five days max," he promised me.

"When are you deploying?"

"Nine days," he responded. "I have to go. Une is calling me."

"Love you. Bye," I told him, then hung up.

I looked at the dragon, who was still watching me, and frowned.

"You never did answer my question," I told him. "What do I do with a dragon?"

He continued to stare at me, the slits of his eyes expressionless.

"Well, if anyone would know, it would be Fei," I thought, dialing his number.

"WuFei," he answered flatly, bored.

"Hey, it's Duo. Can I ask you a question?"

"What is it, Maxwell," he exhaled.

"Do dragons exist?"

"Why do you want to know?"

"Just curious," I responded with a shrug.

"Well, they are believed to have existed sometime in the past, but no, they don't anymore."

"Huh," I smiled. If only he could see what I was seeing right now. "What did they do with dragons?"

"Tamed them. Rode them. Those who could do that were considered gods."

"Interesting. Okay, bye."

"What was the point of all that?" he asked, sounding irritated.

"Nothing really, just curious."

The line went dead and I laughed. Then I looked at the dragon.

"Ride them, huh?" I mused allowed and the dragon raised his head, giving me a questioning look. "Don't worry, I won't be doing anything with you until you're healed and tamed. Uh… how do you tame a dragon?"

He continued to look at me, his expressionless face kind of reminding me of Heero.

"Well I guess I'll just keep working with you the same way I have been," I sighed.

Moving slowly, and keeping my eyes down, I raised a hand and moved towards him. The dragon seemed wary, but didn't move away from me. He sniffed my hand and I slowly lowered it onto his snout, keeping my eyes down. His nose was smooth and warm, and surprisingly… soft? I slowly turned my eyes up to look at him. He tensed, but I kept my eyes down on his nose, not making any sort of eye contact.

"Good dragon," I breathed.

I slowly raised my other hand to stroke the side of its snout. The dragon remained tense, but didn't raise his head. I pet his nose slowly, not making any sudden moves to startle him. I backed away, not wanting to push my luck with the beast. Pulling out a water bottle, I opened it and he let me put it in his lips, tipping the liquid into his mouth. He nosed the empty bottle.

"Do you want more?"

He stared at me, the slits of his eyes focusing on me. I fished another bottle out of the backpack and dumped it into his mouth. He swallowed it happily, then rested his head on his paw, taking a deep breath.

"Well, I should probably be going back. Heero doesn't want me out very long," I told him, petting the scales of the top of his head.

I turned around and I heard the dragon stand. He stumbled as he tried to walk forward with me. I smiled and patted his nose. He snorted, calming back down.

"You want me to stay?" I asked him.

He obviously didn't answer, but I think I understood. I sat against the tree next to his good shoulder and absentmindedly pet his head. I was surprised at how quick he was to trust me.

"You must be really lonely out here," I commented to him, moving so that I was lying on my back in between his head and arm.

He sighed deeply and his eyes closed, completely trusting me. He was asleep quickly, his soft snores echoing next to me. I laid down on my side, stroking his snout. He _did_ completely trust me. Well, maybe not completely, I mused as I noticed his pricked ears and his guarded position. But he did trust me enough to fall asleep in my presence. Either that, or he thought I wasn't much of a threat, which, compared to him, I really wasn't. Even with a useless arm, a most likely broken back leg, and a muzzle, he could take me out in two seconds flat if he were so inclined.

I yawned and curled up next to the dragons head, stroking his smooth scales as I slowly drifted off.

My cell phone going off woke me a few hours later. I found that the dragon had pulled a wing over the top of me and over its head, creating a makeshift shelter. Pulling the cell to my ear, I leaned back against the dragons shoulder.

"Maxwell," I answered kind of groggily.

"Hey, love. I'm on my way home," Heero told me.

"Oh, okay," I responded, crawling out from under the silvery wing and picking up my backpack. "Can you pick up something for dinner? I'm pretty sure there is nothing in the house." Except for a few pounds of ground beef.

"Alright. What do you want?"

"Nothing that I'm actually allowed to eat," I smiled.

He chuckled. "Alright babe, I'll be home in an hour. Oh, and I wanted to ask you something… Why did you call Fei about dragons today? He was telling me during break."

"No reason," I lied quickly. "Just curious."

"Oh, well alright. I'll see you in an hour then."

"Bye, love you."

"Love you too." Then the line went dead.

I turned to the sleeping dragon.

"Bye, bud." Then I frowned. "You need a name."

He breathed deeply, then exhaled, still asleep. I shrugged, continuing back to the house. I'll think of one later, I told myself.

When I got home, I put the extra water bottles back into the fridge, then grabbed one and went down to the weight room. I changed into shorts and a tank, then headed over to the bench press. I added a few pounds, bumping it up to one hundred and fifty, then started to do my reps. I was able to do many more than yesterday, and I did. When Heero got home, I had just finished my fifth set of fifty and was wiping off my forehead with a towel.

"Duo?" Heero called, closing the door behind him.

"I'm down here!" I called up to him as I stood and headed up the stairs.

"Not overworking it, I hope," he raised an eyebrow at me, setting a take out box on the kitchen table.

"Never," I grinned back, running upstairs to change and take a quick shower.

Hair dripping wet and dressed in cargo shorts and an old tank, I made my way back down the stairs, braiding as I went. Heero was serving out rice and vegetables to me as I walked into the kitchen. He served himself the same with an addition of chicken, then sat down.

We ate in silence, finding nothing to talk about. I didn't like the quiet; I got enough of it around the dragon. Trying to think of a way to start a conversation, I asked him, "So what's the mission."

"You know I'm not allowed to discuss specifics," Heero told me.

"It's my team, and _was_ my mission. I ought to know what I would've gotten myself into," I responded.

He sighed and looked at me for a moment, then answered, "It's just a small scouting mission. You know that they never tell us exactly where we're going, but I know it's somewhere in northern China. We just need to watch a potentially dangerous target. We'll be there anywhere from three to five days," he answered.

"So nothing cool that I'd be seriously missing out on," I teased, reaching over and stabbing a piece of chicken off his plate.

He grabbed my wrist, giving me a stern look. "You can't eat that," he reminded me.

"Just one piece? I've been deprived for over a week," I complained.

He didn't waver and I sighed, "Fine."

When he let go of my wrist, I quickly stuck it in my mouth, chewed, and swallowed. He just shook his head at me, going back to his meal.

"So tomorrow is Saturday. Do you have to go to work?" I asked him.

"You know I do. We have a mission in a little over a week and I need to get used to your team," he told me.

I sighed, leaning my head on my hand, my elbow resting on the table. I pushed around my food, suddenly not hungry at all. It must've been that small piece of chicken.

"You okay?" Heero asked me.

"Not hungry anymore," I told him, pushing my food around my plate.

"Told you that you shouldn't have eaten that," he chastised.

I stuck my tongue out at him. "It was worth it. I hate not being able to eat that stuff."

It was quiet again as Heero finished his dinner. I thought of the dragon, and how he probably needed to be fed again before I went to bed. Remembering how much he seemed to trust me, I wondered if it was okay to take the muzzle off. If I could and he didn't try and eat me, then wouldn't that mean he was tamed? I hoped so…

Heero took my plate to the sink and cleaned it up. I was about to tell him that I was going for a walk, but then decided that he'd insist on coming, so I'd have to sneak out. He gave me the perfect opportunity.

"I'm going to go take a shower," he told me, taking off his Preventers jacket.

I nodded and he headed upstairs. Quickly scrawling 'on a walk be back in a little bit', I grabbed two pounds of the ground beef and a few water bottles, shoved them in the backpack, then left.

"Hey buddy," I greeted the dragon as I approached him.

He turned to look at me, a huge bird clamped in his jaw. I shuddered as he crunched down, then swallowed it whole.

"Okay, that's gross. I guess you don't need my help feeding yourself after all," I grimaced. "How did you do that with the muzzle on?" I asked him pointlessly.

Fingering the key in my pocket, I took a hesitant breath, then walked over to him. I pulled out the key and tentatively raised it to the cuff.

"Please don't eat me," I begged, then suck the key in the lock.

It unhooked instantly, opening and dropping to the ground with a clank of chains and metal. I stepped back, my hand going to the butt of my gun. He shook his head, then opened his mouth wide, stretching the tensed muscles and showing off all his razor sharp, four inch long teeth. I tensed, but then he shook his head again, closing his mouth with a snap and turning to look at me.

I pulled out one of the packages of beef and opened it. The dragon opened his mouth and I tossed it in. He swallowed it whole and then opened his mouth again. I tossed in the other one, then dumped a few bottles of water down his throat.

He laid his head back down onto the ground and licked his muzzle. I reached out and pet his snout, testing our trust now that the cuff was off. He didn't react any different than earlier and let me stroke the hard scales around his eye.

"You need a name," I sighed, patting his nose.

He eyed me, his slits focusing on me.

"Any ideas?" I asked him, but then suddenly thought of something. "Solo…"

His eyes seemed questioning.

"I had a friend name Solo. And my name is Duo, so… You like it?" I asked him, hoping he would.

His eyes seemed to brighten, like he understood. I smiled at him. He seemed so relaxed, so much calmer than he did when I first found him. I sighed, coming to a decision.

"Time for you to meet the boyfriend, Solo."


	3. Chapter 3

**Here's the next two chapters. Thanks for the reviews :) Hope you enjoy.**

* * *

><p>Chapter 3<p>

"Have a nice walk?" Heero asked from the family room, his laptop opened in front of him. He didn't seem mad at all, which was good. I wasn't looking forward to getting into an argument with him.

I dropped the empty bag next to the door and walked over to him. Picking up his laptop and setting it on the table, I sat next to him. I wanted his full attention.

"It would've been nicer if you could've been there," I told him, but my voice sounded stressed.

"Something is troubling you," Heero pointed out.

"It's nothing," I found myself saying. No, I needed to tell him. But I couldn't.

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, if that's all, I need to go back to work," he told me, picking up his laptop, but not taking his eyes off of me.

"I'm going to go work out," I told him, needing to think for a minute by myself.

"I'll join you in a few minutes after I finish looking over the report," he told me.

I nodded, changing into my shorts and heading into the basement. I sat down on the bench and looked at my hands. I needed to tell Heero about Solo, but, why not hold off a few more days? Solo just started trusting me recently, and I didn't want to push our luck by bringing Heero over there. I needed to get closer to Solo before I could throw Heero into the mix. It wasn't just about my fear for Solo, but my fear for Heero. Since Solo and my bond was so new and fragile, bringing a stranger to see him could break that trust and he could attack Heero, and possibly me. I had to wait, I realized.

Lying back onto the press, I pressed one set of ten before Heero came in.

"Spot me babe?" I asked him.

"Of course," he responded, walking up behind the weights.

"Add about fifty," I told him, rubbing my sweaty hands on my pants.

Sweaty palms and two hundred pound barbells didn't mix, and I knew that. That's why I had Heero spot me. He wasn't a spotter that kept a finger on the bar and daydreamed as I did my reps, but kept both hands on the bar and was ready to catch it in case it slipped. I counted on that as the stress of my decision about Heero and Solo made my palms all sweaty.

Heero put on another fifty pounds then took a cautious grasp on the bar as I scooted closer to him and the bar and took it in my hands. I started to press the weights as I kept my eyes on Heero.

"You know," I panted between reps. "I have… a really nice… view."

Heero rolled his eyes at me, but smiled none the less. I grinned back, but then frowned when I felt the bar start to slip as I got to the top.

"Heero. Grab it. Now," I told him, just before I lost my grip and dropped the two hundred pound barbell.

I flinched, waiting for the impact, but opened my eyes to see Heero holding the bar. I exhaled sharply, wiping my hands on my pants.

"Maybe you should go first," I suggested, sitting up as Heero set the bar back on the rack.

"Yeah, after I get a different bar. This one is really sweaty. You sure you're okay?"

"I'm fine, but I'm tired. After this, I'm going to crash."

"How tired are you? Should I trust you to spot me?" he asked warily, moving the weights to the other bar.

"Of course. You saved my life, now I'll save your life," I teased, stepping behind him.

He added another fifty, then gave me a look. "Can you handle this amount of weight?" he teased me.

"Absolutely. I can handle you, can't I?" I grinned as he lay down on the bench.

"Are you insinuating that I weigh two hundred and fifty pounds?" he asked with a raised eyebrow, lifting the heavy bar.

"No, but your superhuman strength definitely makes up for your lack of body weight," I teased, keeping a firm hold on the barbell.

He raised an eyebrow at me, continuing with his reps.

"You know," he smiled. "I have a really nice view."

"You like it?" I joked back.

"Very much," he responded with a devious grin.

I laughed and it was quiet after that, just the sound of metal on metal. It was much too easy for Heero to lift the heavy weights and it took him no time at all to finish his sets. He sat up and wiped off his forehead off with a towel. He switched spots with me and moved to remove some weight.

"No, leave it," I told him, laying back.

"I don't think so. You were struggling with two hundred," he frowned, pulling off the weights.

I huffed, then wiped off my hands and started my reps. "Walker is an ass," I told him.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"You said you had… to go to work tomorrow… cause you needed to get… to know my team. Well… what if I… tell you about them… then can you stay at least… most the morning tomorrow?" I managed between reps. My stomach seared, but I ignored it.

He chuckled. "We'll see. You should tell me anyway, though."

"Well… like I said… Walker's an ass. But once you lay down the line… show him who's actually in charge… then he works really well. You know Cain. Kendal is shy… but coax him out of his shell… and he's an amazing agent. He's the one you want… watching your back. Michaels is okay… but he gets cocky. He thinks he's superman. Um… that's about it. O'Brian, Lloyd, and Richards are all the opposite. They need a lot of… encouraging."

"Noted. All of it," he smiled.

"Okay. I'm done," I said as I felt one of my stitches rip.

I sat up much too quick in trying to hide my ripped stitch that it caused another stitch to snap. The bad thing about ripping a stitch… once one rips, it's that much easier to rip another one. Quickly pulling down my shirt, I headed upstairs into our bathroom, Heero close behind me.

"I'm going to take a quick shower cause I'm all sweaty, then I'll join you, kay?" I smiled, closing the door on him.

I turned on the water, then grabbed the medical kit from under the sink, hoping that it had a needle and sutures. It did and I tied the string to the needle, then took a deep breath. Looking down at my stomach, I pulled out the ripped sutures, then stuck the needle through my skin. I flinched and my hand started shaking. I growled at myself. I didn't get why I had a problem stitching myself up. I've stitched up Heero numerous times and I stitched up the dragon, but I couldn't stitch myself. I shoved the needle through again, only it was too deep and I clamped down on my tongue to keep from crying out. Blood started to flow down my stomach.

"Shit," I cursed. I couldn't hide this from Heero anymore, so I might as well ask him to help.

My shaky hand kept jerking on the thread, making me wince. Blood streamed down my abdomen as I made my way into the bedroom, my free hand under the wound to keep the blood from dripping onto the carpet. Heero had his computer in his lap, scanning the screen.

"Heero?" I asked tentatively.

"Hm?" he replied, not lifting his eyes from his computer screen.

"Uh, can you help me? I can't…" I grimaced, trying not to tug on the string.

Heero looked up then, his eyes instantly widening at the sight. He snapped the computer shut, tossing it onto the bed and hurried over to me. He kneeled in front of me, putting the needle in his teeth and pulling out the threads with his hands.

"What happened?" he asked around the bloody needle.

"That's not very sanitary," I told him.

He glared up at me, not in the mood for jokes.

"I ripped them lifting the weights," I answered with a sigh, keeping my eyes on his face and not on my stomach.

He sighed in exasperation, taking the needle from his teeth and sewing up my stomach. "I'm staying home tomorrow," he said firmly.

"That's awesome, but why?" I asked.

"Because someone has to take care of you if you can't," he answered, his tone a little joking. At least he wasn't mad anymore.

"I don't mind," I grinned deviously.

"I'm still going to be working and you are going to be resting," he told me. "This should've been healed by now."

"Should be, but isn't."

He exhaled, tying off the thread. "Go to bed before you rip these ones too," he demanded.

"Uh, but…" I grimaced, looking at my blood soaked hands and shorts.

"Go clean up first, then go to bed. It seems like it stopped bleeding."

"Yes sir," I teased and headed into the bathroom.

I turned on the shower and pulled off my bloodstained shorts, undid my braid, then stepped into the water. The water stung on my stomach, but only for a moment, then it felt good.

Wrapping a towel around myself, I headed back into bedroom. Heero was back on his computer, but looked up when I walked in.

"Feeling better?" he asked, looking back down at his computer.

I climbed onto the bed, moved his computer onto the bedside table, then curled up next to him.

"Now I am," I replied.

…

Heero's voice woke me in the morning. It sounded like he was talking on the phone.

"But Duo needs… I know I have a case but… He's told me about… I know but…" He sighed. "Can I at least take the morning? Two more hours? Fine. I'll be there in an hour," he nearly growled, snapping the phone shut.

"So Sick-Up-Her-Butt Une isn't letting you take the day off?" I guessed.

"No," he nearly snapped.

I sighed rolling onto my back and rubbing my eyes.

"Stay in the house, preferably in bed, don't touch the weights, take your meds, and please don't do anything stupid. If you do get into trouble like I know you will, call me and, I don't care what Une says, I'll come home."

"Don't get yourself fired," I told him.

"She can't afford to fire me," he answered, tying his tie.

He walked over to me and kissed me quickly. "Please try to be safe?" he asked seriously.

"Safe? I am unfamiliar to the term…" I teased with a smile.

"I know. And that scares me," he teased back, then pulled on his jacket and left.

I found myself thinking about something WuFei had told me. About taming and riding a dragon. Riding a dragon. Well, I would need a saddle, right? And I highly doubted I could find a dragon saddle, which meant that I had to make one. This meant that I needed measurements.

I stood, pulling on my clothes and hurrying downstairs, braiding as I went. Grabbing the backpack from the back door, I put in the last two packages of ground beef and a few water bottles, then hunted down a measuring tape. Finally finding one at our work bench in the basement, I headed out to Solo.

He had pulled off the bandages on his shoulder and was licking it and biting at it.

"Hey! Stop that! If you mess with it, it won't heal. I would know," I chuckled, and he looked up to see me, seeming a little perky. "If you ripped those stitches I'm going to kill you."

Solo ignored the threat as I tossed him the meat, then looked at his shoulder. He hadn't ripped the stitches, or even irritated the wound. As I checked the wound, I realized that he was moving his arm. That meant his shoulder was healing and he was regaining feeling and motion in his arm. Perfect to start training him.

I pulled out the measuring tape and the long white strip startled Solo. He shied away from me, collapsing when his two bad legs couldn't take his weight. I hid it behind my back and he started to calm down, but watched me closely. I slowly pulled it out again and held it up to him. He sniffed it and, content that it wasn't going to jump out and bite him, he calmed down.

"I'm going to make you a saddle so I can ride you," I told him, wrapping the tape around his body behind his armpits.

Making mental notes, I took many measurements all around his back, chest, midsection, and neck. After I was done, I gave him some water and made my way back to the house to start work on the saddle. Scrawling down my measurements on a scratch piece of paper and grabbing my laptop, I headed down to the work bench in the basement. I pulled out a piece of design paper and a pencil and drew a quick sketch of Solo's midsection from side view, bottom view, top view, front view, and back view. Pulling up the internet on my laptop, I image searched horse saddles, then sketched what I wanted Solo's saddle to look like on all my forms. After I had that all done, I calculated my measurements to coincide with my sketch. I smiled at my creation, then started sorting through the scrap metal. The form would be crafted from the metal to make it tough and durable, but I'd have to pad it, then cover it in leather to make it comfortable, I decided. Also, the straps and cinches used to hold the saddle to Solo would have to be made from a more comfortable fabric. I leaned my head against the desk, suddenly feeling really tired.

Car tires sounded on the gravel driveway, waking me up. I groggily rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock. It was already six o'clock. If Heero found me in here, he'd instantly get suspicious. I shoved my plans under the scrap metal and grabbed my computer, bolting up the stairs, then up the next set of stairs into our bedroom. Pulling off all my clothes to make it look like I hadn't been out of bed all day, I climbed onto the bed, computer in my lap. Just then, the front door opened, our security alarm beeping to tell us the door had been opened.

"Are you still alive?" I heard Heero call.

"No," I responded jokingly.

Heero appeared in the doorway, looking very nice in his Preventers uniform.

"Have you gotten up at all today?" he questioned, tossing me a set of clothes.

"You told me not to!" I defended with a laugh.

"Which means you haven't eaten at all today," he frowned disapprovingly. "Come. Let's go get dinner."

"Awesome, I'm starving," I smiled hopping out of bed.

"Yeah, that tends to happen when you don't eat all day," Heero chastised.

"Oh no really?" I mocked, pulling on my jeans. "So where are we going?"

"Wherever you want," he answered as I pulled on my shirt as I walked down the stairs.

"I'm up for anything," I told him honestly, then grabbed the car keys out of his hand. "I want to drive."

He snagged them back. "I value both of our lives too much to allow that."

I rolled my eyes at him, but didn't argue. I felt too tired to drive anyway. And, sneaking a look at Heero, he too looked worn out. I grabbed his arm.

"Maybe… we should stay in tonight. I'm really tired and you look tired too," I told him.

"You've been in bed all day long. How can you be tired?" he questioned, raising an eyebrow.

I shrugged and he didn't question me further and agreed to stay in. He stuck some leftovers in the microwave, then grabbed his laptop and sat back in the couch. I walked up behind him, wrapping my arms around him and looking down at his computer. The screen was covered in files and stats and mission reports.

"More work?" I questioned him. "What do you do at the office?"

"Work."

"Then why do you bring it home?"

"Because it needs to be done," he answered simply, turning his head to kiss my arm.

I leaned forward so that I could kiss the side of his neck. I felt him shiver underneath my touch, and his tense shoulders began to relax. The microwave beeped and I groaned, standing up and hurrying into the kitchen. Popping the microwave open, I pulled out the plate and scooped half of it onto the other plate.

"Dinner is ready," I told him, setting the plates on the table.

"Just a minute. Cain sent me all the files on your team. Did you know Kendal has a record?"

"No way," I said, shocked. "Une wouldn't have hired him if he had a record, and if it happened after she hired him, he would've been fired. And are you sure it's _Kendal_? That guy is afraid to cuss, let alone commit a crime."

"He got in a bar fight a few months ago," he responded.

"Oh, he was drunk. That doesn't count," I teased. "And, knowing Kendal, he was probably trying to break it up."

"Probably. He seemed like a really nice guy. Takes orders really well," Heero told me.

"Yeah, he does, which makes him a great agent. Now get your workaholic butt over here before your dinner gets cold. The files can wait," I told him.

He closed his computer, then made his way up to the kitchen. He sat down at one of the place setting and started to eat.

"So what did you do today?" he questioned. "Besides sit on your lazy ass all day long."

"Hey now. You can't criticize me for following orders," I defended, pointing at him with my fork.

He chuckled, looking back down at his plate.

"I went over some files," I answered. And I did, for a few seconds before Heero had entered the room. "Very boring stuff. How bout you? You _had _to have had a better day than me."

"I worked with your team out on the courses and in the gym most of the day. I also worked on some files, went over mission stats, argued with Po… and that's about it."

"Why did you argue with Po?"

"Cause she thinks Cain is coming down with a cold and wants to replace him."

I snorted. "She'd want to replace someone for having a hangnail. Did you convince her to let Cain second?"

"If he gets better before the mission, then yes," he answered.

I nodded, then was eating too fast to keep up a conversation. Even though I hadn't actually stayed in bed all day, I hadn't eaten at all and I really was starving.

"Slow down. Your stomach won't be able to take all that food so quickly," he warned me.

"But I'm hungry," I argued, taking another bite.

Heero rolled his eyes at me, turning back to his food. By the end of dinner, I could hardly keep my eyes open. I cleared the dishes as Heero went back to work. Heero scooted over on the couch to make room for me as I laid down, my head right next to his thigh. He stroked my hair with one hand and scanned through numerous documents and reports with the other. I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore as I fell asleep right there on the couch next to Heero, thinking about how I could tell him about Solo.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

I woke up and I was in our bed. I rubbed my eyes, then rolled over. Heero was asleep next to me, his back to me. Careful not to wake him, I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head against his shoulder blade. It wasn't long before he woke up. He turned around in my arms and I rested my head against his bare chest.

"I take it you have to go into the office today?" I guessed with a frown.

"I managed to get some of the morning off," he told me, brushing my bangs out of my face. "That's why Une sent me all those files last night."

"Hn," I murmured into his chest. "Then I'll go make us breakfast."

"Sounds good to me," he agreed, but didn't let go of me or I of him.

"When will you have to leave?"

"About two hours. It was as much time as I could get off," he told me, his tone very apologetic.

"Well any time is a lot of time with Une," I replied. "I should go make breakfast before we run out of time."

He did release me then and I stood reluctantly, walking stiffly over to the closet.

"Why am I so stiff?" I questioned, rubbing the back of my stiff neck.

"You slept a good four hours on the couch," he told me, sitting up and stretching.

"That means you didn't go to bed until three," I chastised. "You need more than four hours of sleep. Go back to bed and I'll make your breakfast."

"Fine by me," he mumbled, laying back down and pulling the covers up over his head.

I laughed at him, pulling on an old, loose pair of sweats that hung a little low on my hips. In the kitchen, I grabbed the eggs and bacon and bread and started to throw together a quick breakfast. I found myself munching on my third piece of bacon before I realized that I wasn't supposed to be eating it. Not only is the meat bad, but all that fat was terrible for my stomach also.

"Whatever," I brushed it off, finishing the piece. "My stomach is almost healed anyway."

By the time I got breakfast made, it was still about an hour before I needed to get Heero up, and I wanted to give him as much time as possible. So, I headed into the basement and pulled out the sketches of Solo's saddle. I didn't touch the metal parts so that the clatter wouldn't wake Heero. Instead, I figured out how much metal and leather I would need, then calculated how heavy that would make it. It came out to forty pounds. That wasn't very heavy, but the question was, would I actually be able to get it up onto Solo.

I glanced at the clock. It was eight, which meant I had better go wake Heero and heat up his breakfast. When I stood, pain seared in my stomach. It had to have been from the bacon. I had left Heero's plate in the oven, so it was still hot. I pulled it out and set the plate on the table, then leaned against the counter, my stomach bothering me.

"Breakfast is ready babe!" I called up to him, then leaned my head against the counter.

Moments later, strong arms were wrapping around my waist and Heero's strong body was leaning over me.

"Are you okay?" his voice asked into my ear.

"My stomach is bugging me, that's all," I told him, straightening up.

"What did you eat?" he asked in an accusing, exasperated tone.

"Three pieces of bacon," I answered with an innocent grin.

"Baka," Heero exhaled, backing away from me, then smacked me in the back of the head. He walked over to the cupboard and pulled out a loaf of bread. "Eat as much of this as you can. It'll absorb some of the fat and acids in your stomach and hopefully make you feel a little better," he told me as he handed me the bag.

"Thanks," I murmured, pulling out a piece and sitting down at the table.

Heero ate his breakfast as I nibbled on the piece of bread. After finishing the small piece of bread, I dropped my head onto the table, starting to feel nauseous.

"Maybe that wasn't the best idea," I mumbled into the table.

"Eat another one," Heero ordered.

"I feel like I'm about to puke," I argued.

"Eat. You'll feel better. Would I ever lie to you?"

"I don't know, would you?" I shot back, then instantly felt guilty.

I could feel Heero's glare on me and I sighed, looking up at him.

"Sorry babe. Love you. I just feel like shit is all," I told him, grabbing another piece of bread and eating it, dropping my head back onto the table. "I didn't mean that. I know you'd never lie to me."

I heard Heero's chair slide along the tile and I looked up to see him rinse his plate off in the sink, then make his way over to me.

"You feeling any better?" he asked. "Besides the nausea, I mean."

I sat up and wiggled around a little. The pain seemed like it was gone for the most part. But that nauseous feeling was ever present.

"Better," I answered.

"Told you," he grinned, then leaned down to give me a quick kiss before heading upstairs to get ready.

"And I believed you," I called back to him.

It was quiet for a little while, just the sounds of Heero running around upstairs getting ready. My stomach suddenly heaved and I bolted from the table, knocking over my chair, before puking into the sink. I fell to my knees, resting my head on the cold metal of the sink. I felt better almost instantly. I guess my stomach just needed to get the bacon out. But I felt really weak and I didn't want to stand.

Suddenly Heero was behind me, helping me up.

"Are you okay?" he asked me.

"I actually feel much better," I told him, sticking my mouth under the faucet and turning on the water.

Heero held my braid out of the way and lovingly traced a circle on the small of my back with his finger. It made my whole body tingle as I washed out my mouth, then I quickly spun around and captured Heero's lips in mine.

The doorbell rang, making me jump.

"Who is that?" I asked him.

"WuFei offered to take me to the office during his break. I wanted to leave you the truck just in case something happens."

I nodded as Heero released me and started towards the door. He stopped before opening the door and turned to look at me.

"You sure you'll be okay? I could take a few more hours off if you need me to," he told me.

"And if I just want you to stay?" I teased, following him up to the door.

"Sorry, but I don't think Une will buy that," he chuckled.

"Bye. Love you. And try not to work my men _too _hard," I told him.

"You can never work men too hard," he teased back, then opened the door and left.

I sighed, rubbing the back of my neck. I turned to go out to see Solo, but he needed food and I didn't have any. So I grabbed the keys to the truck and headed out to the driveway. I also wanted to check out a leather shop for the saddle. Once I reached the little leather shop, I told the guy I was making a saddle and he got the right leather and the right amounts for me. Tossing it in the bed of the truck, I walked across the street to the butcher. I assumed that Solo would prefer that meat to packaged, processed, random, ground meat. I asked for anything they were throwing out, then threw the bags into the back with the leather.

At the house, I put the leather at the work bench and put the meat in the fridge in the basement. Heero would get suspicious if he saw a bag of meat scraps in the fridge in the kitchen. Grabbing a smaller plastic bag and my backpack, I threw in a few scraps and water bottles before heading out.

When I got to Solo's spot, he wasn't there.

"Solo?" I called, spinning around and scanning the trees. "Solo?"

He was gone.

"How can I lose a five ton, fifteen foot tall dragon with a freakin' shattered shoulder blade?" I exclaimed in exasperation, looking around.

I noticed drag marks continuing straight in front of me and I followed them to find Solo fishing in a stream about thirty yards away.

"Hey bud! Is your leg all better?" I asked him, showing him the scraps I had brought.

He turned, then hopped over to me. He was dragging his front left foot, but the back left leg was supporting his weight again, but just barely. It was shaking and he looked like he was trying to keep as much weight off of it as possible.

"You need to lie down and rest, boy," I told him, tossing a scrap into his mouth and petting his nose. "I want to start working with you once Heero leaves."

He munched happily, bones crunching and snapping under his bite.

"You know, I think we need to work on voice commands before I actually try and ride you," I told him, sitting back against his good shoulder. "I know you control horses with reins, but they are a thousand pounds and six feet tall at the most. You, my friend, are much bigger than a horse. I don't think I'd have any control over you, unless you were willing to give it. We'd need voice commands."

He continued to eat, seeming to ignore me.

"Should I continue to talk as if you are actually paying attention?" I teased to him.

He surprised me by turning his attention from his scraps and looking at me. I sat there for a second, not sure what to do. But then, he was turning his head back to the scrap meat. I sighed and patted his huge arm that was lying right next to me. I leaned my head back against his scales. I was almost too tall, my head just barely below his back.

Suddenly, Solo jumped up, flinging his body around and dumping me on the ground. He was growling, the sound rumbling deep in his chest. I put my hands up in the air as I stood up, but then realized he wasn't growling at me. He was looking past me, at something I couldn't see.

There was a faint growl not too far off. It was almost a passing sound, then it was gone. Whatever had made it was something big. I shivered, my hand checking to make sure I had a gun on me. I didn't. Solo sat back down, but remained ramrod straight and tense, completely forgetting about his lunch.

Suddenly, he reached out and grabbed the back of my shirt with his teeth and dragged me over to him, placing me between his arms. He was protecting me.

I looked up at his head as I sat down. He was scanning the surroundings. During the growling match, he had put his front paw down on the ground to appear that he wasn't injured, but now he let it hang limp again. It was obvious that he had been in pain trying to keep control over his arm. He laid down then, keeping me tucked in the crease between his arm and chest. I leaned back, pulling my braid in front of me and playing with the end of it.

After about an hour, Solo calmed down, lowering his head down to the ground with a long, deep sigh. I patted his neck and stood. I walked around to his bad shoulder and looked at it. Solo gave me wary looks.

"Don't worry," I told him. "I'm just seeing if it's healing right. I had to do this to Heero when he took a bullet to his shoulder blade once. I just hope it's the same for dragons."

From what I could tell, it was healing fairly well, and very fast. It must've been a dragon thing. And, after removing all his bandages, I realized that everything was healed. Even the gaping hole in his shoulder caused by the branch. Apparently dragons healed very fast.

"Well, considering how well you are healing, I think we need to start working on regaining muscle control in your shoulder," I told him.

He stared at me as if he were awaiting instructions. I smiled and started working on some of the techniques I had to do with Heero. It seemed to be working, and after over two hours, he was able to flex his toes and wrist. That was amazing. It took Heero a week to get that far, and another three weeks for him to regain limited use of his arm. And Heero was a fast healer.

My stomach growled then, and I frowned.

"Well, I need to go home and eat, Solo. I'll be back tonight maybe?" I told him, giving him a few water bottles before heading back home.

At the house, I grabbed a piece of bread and went straight to the basement, not feeling up to anything other than bread. Pulling out my sketches and papers, I laid them out in front of me. I wasn't going to start building until Heero was gone so that I wouldn't have to worry about hiding it, but I could still get ready to build it. I pulled out some good metal scraps and sheets and sorted them out. Most of the metal I found would be perfect, but I'd also have to manipulate a bunch of it.

I jotted down a bunch of notes on the plans paper and messed with the lines and angles and shapes, trying to make sure it was perfect.

I heard the car tires on the gravel and hid all the stuff before running up the stairs and sprawling across the couch, pulling my laptop onto my stomach. I pulled up a file and started working on it as Heero walked into the house. He walked straight over to me and lifted my head, sat down, then lowered my head onto his lap.

"How was my team?" I asked him. "Cause if they are giving you a hard time, then I'll need to go smack some sense into them.

"They are actually really good men. I wish my team was as good as yours," he told me, playing with my braid.

I snorted. "It's only cause it's you, not me, and they know I'd kick their ass if they messed with you. With me they aren't nearly as well behaved."

He chuckled. "I did have to prove to Walker who was really in charge of this operation, but other than him, I haven't had any problems."

"Good. I'll beat Walker when I get back," I grinned.

"Did you take your pills yet today?" he asked me.

I jumped up and headed into the kitchen. I grabbed the protein supplements from the cabinet and dry swallowed two of them. "Yup!" I answered with a grin.

He rolled his eyes at me, grabbing his laptop and turned it on.

"More work?" I groaned as he nodded. "Well then I'm going on a walk."

He nodded and I grabbed the backpack. It still had meat scraps and water in it, so I headed out.

When I got to Solo, he was limping terribly around in a circle, flapping his wings. He snorted at me and I took that as a greeting, tossing him the meat scraps.

"You really shouldn't be walking on that, bud. So, you can fly now?" I asked him, running a finger down a long ragged scar on his wing.

He flapped his wings, then launched himself into the air. But, he turned and fell back through the trees, landing with a thud on his side.

"Is that a no?"

He shook his head, holding up his injured arm. Rearing up onto his back legs, he pretended he was flying, his good leg tucked under him, but his bad leg unable to tuck up under him. Pretending to turn, he faked losing his balance and falling.

"So, you're legs balance you when you fly?" I asked him, trying to make sense of his charades.

He nodded, seeming to frown.

"You know, Solo, you're arm will never fully heal. You'll never regain full mobility with it and will have a permanent limp. You never got proper medical treatment and you aren't staying off of it while it's trying to heal," I told him.

He sighed, lowering his head onto the ground. I patted his nose and gave him some water.

"What if…" I thought, sitting down next to his shoulder. "What if I made a counter balance for you, or found a way for you to maintain balance when you turn?"

He turned his head to look at me.

"I'll think about it," I told him. "Don't worry. I'll figure it out for you bud. No one's ever heard of a flightless dragon."

He snorted, then began to eat the scraps again.

My cell rang, making both of is jump.

"Maxwell," I answered, tracing the ragged scars on Solo's shoulder.

"Hey, Duo? Can you come back for a sec? Your files are confusing," Heero told me.

"Of course," I told him, standing. "Be there in a sec."

"Got to go, Solo. Heero doesn't know how to read a file," I teased, patting his forehead and grabbing the backpack.

I dropped the backpack inside the door and plopped down in the couch next to Heero. He had his laptop in his lap and mine on the armrest next to him.

"You're file keeping could use some improvement, Duo," Heero frowned, handing me my laptop. "Find your arrest records please."

"Did you look under 'arrest warrants'?" I asked him, pulling up the file he was looking for.

He frowned. "I didn't see that…" he mused.

"Sure you didn't. If you wanted me to come back you should have just said so," I told him, heading into the kitchen.

There was no comment, which meant I was right. I pulled out the ingredients for an all veggie sandwich and started to make myself a quick dinner. The whole time I was thinking about ways to create a counter balance for Solo. I thought of things I could put on his legs, things I could put on his wings, things I could put on his back… on his back! _I_ could be the counter balance, and using my own weight to counteract the weight of his leg. His leg was almost my exact size. This could work.

"I gotta go! Be right back!" I called to Heero as I ran out the door with my sandwich.

"Where are you—" he started to ask, but the door was already shut and I was running.

"Solo! I got it!" I called to him as I got close.

He had his head tucked under his wing and lifted the wing so that he could peek at me from under it as I ran up to him.

"What if _I'm_ your counter balance?" I asked him. "When you turn, I'd use my own body weight to counteract the weight of your bad leg."

He seemed to be thinking about it as if he understood. Then, he nodded and reached forward, grabbing my sandwich.

"Hey! That was my dinner! You already had yours!" I growled, tossing him the rest of the sandwich.

Solo turned his head and the frills on the side of his head flashed. He was listening to something. He walked over to me, his head staying turned, and sat in front of me, his tail encircling me and the tree.

"What is it, bud?" I asked him, looking around.

He didn't move, hardly breathed. A low growl sounded faintly in the trees a ways away and Solo's posture changed from protective to aggressive in a flash. His scaly lips parted to reveal razor sharp teeth, his body crouched, his head lowered, his frills laid back, and deep throated growls echoed from his chest. But the sound was gone the next moment, leaving Solo on edge.

"I should probably go back home, Solo," I told him, climbing over his tail.

He watched me walk away, then turned his attention in the direction the growls had come from. I hurried back home, instinctively keeping to the shadows of the trees and looking around. I felt like I was in an enemy base rather than the forest behind my house.

When I walked into the house, Heero looked up from his computer, an eyebrow raised.

"What was that all about?" he asked.

"Oh, uh, I just left my water bottle out there," I told him, grabbing Solo's half drunk water bottle out of the backpack to show him, hating that I had lied to him.

He frowned, but turned back to his work. I headed upstairs. I was tired and I was going to bed. I pulled off my shirt and jeans, leaving on my boxers and jumping into bed. Just before I fell asleep, I felt Heero's strong arms encircle me. But then I was asleep.


	5. Chapter 5

**Thanks for all the reviews guys :) Here's the next two chapters. Enjoy :)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 5<p>

"Solo, I gotta go. Heero has to leave tomorrow and I want to spend the rest of the day with him," told him.

Solo was walking in a circle around me, growling and hissing at unknown threats.

"It's been three hours! I just came out here to feed you! Heero is going to be home soon," I told him, sitting up.

Suddenly Solo jumped over the top of me, snarling at something off in the trees. I wasn't shocked. He had done this so many times in the past three hours. I just sighed, staring at his belly plates. I loved that he felt such a connection to me that he put his body between mine and a threat. But it was still kind of annoying. Suddenly he reached back and pushed me forward. He ushered me forward through the trees, keeping right behind me.

"Are you escorting me home?" I asked him.

He snorted and I took that as a yes.

"Thanks, Solo," I told him, heading towards the house.

When we reached it, Solo kept in the trees. I heard car tires on the gravel out front and I pushed Solo back into the trees.

"Go back to your spot! I'll come by tomorrow after Heero leaves," I told him.

He pushed me one more time towards the house, then hopped off quickly on three legs. I ran into the house and jumped over the back of the couch, pulling my laptop into my lap just as the front door opened and the alarm system beeped. Heero walked over and sat next to me on the couch, draping his arm across the back of the couch behind me. I couldn't hide my smile as I tried very hard to stay focused, but failing miserably. His hand absentmindedly played with my braid as he read my report over my shoulder.

"What are you working on?" he asked me.

"Just some crap Une sent me. 'Just because I'm out for another week doesn't mean I don't have to complete my files', or so she tells me," I told him.

"Huh," he shrugged. "How many files did she send you?"

"Enough to keep me busy while you're gone," I frowned, forcing my attention from his hand on my braid to the files on my screen.

"Well, I don't have anything to do tonight," he told me and I heard the hint in his voice.

I grinned, closing my laptop and setting it on the coffee table. Turning back to Heero, I pulled him into a deep kiss. "The files can wait."

…

I woke early the next morning, rolling over to discover my lover gone. My eyes flew open and I saw the folded piece of paper on his pillow. 'Had to leave early. Didn't want to wake you. Love you and I'll miss you. See you in a few days. Love, Heero' it said in Heero's block script.

"Damn," I breathed, sitting up and rubbing my eyes.

Well, I might as well make Heero's absence useful, I thought, pulling on my old sweats, sticking a piece of bread in the toaster, then heading down into the basement. I spread all the good metal over the desk and dumped the rest onto the floor. Spreading out the sketches in front of me, and pulling my hair up into my hat, I got to work.

I was in the middle of welding two pieces together when the house phone rang. I let the answering machine get it.

"Sorry if I woke you, but I just wanted to say goodbye before we turned in our cells for the satellite phones," Heero's voice echoed.

I hurriedly shut off the welder and quickly reached across the desk for the phone.

"Hey Heero," I said into the phone, hoping he hadn't already hung up.

"Oh, hi Duo. I don't have very long. I just wanted to tell you I love you before I dropped off the radar for a few days."

"I love you too. Have you figured out when your return flight is scheduled?"

"Yeah. We'll be up there for four days."

"Yuy! Turn in the damn phone and get your ass onto that shuttle now!" Une's voice echoed from somewhere in the distance.

"Well, I'd better let you go before Une skins you alive," I grinned.

"Bye Duo. See you in four days."

"Bye. Love y—" but then the line went dead.

I sighed, put the phone back on the receiver, then pulled back on the welding mask. After many hours, I had a basic frame built. I lifted it up, testing its weight. It was very light weight. Good. After another couple of hours, I had the metal work done. I checked the balance to make sure both sides were equal and that it was all aligned right. Before pulling out the leather, I grabbed the backpack, filled it with scrap meat, then headed out to Solo.

"Hey Solo. I got you some—"

I was suddenly cut off as Solo jumped at me, pulling me behind a tree, then sat protectively in front of me. His frills were raised, his eyes wide, his muscles tensed. He was listening for something. Slowly, he started to relax, calming down. Then, he started sniffing around my backpack, and I decided that whatever the danger had been, it was gone. I opened the backpack and pulled out the bag of scraps, dumping it onto the ground for him. He munched at it lazily and I sat back against the trees, poking his shoulder with the end of my boot.

"I've got the frame of your saddle done," I told him, absentmindedly staring at the healed scars of his shoulder. "I should bring it by and see if it fits you before I put the leather on."

He snorted and I nodded, standing. "I'll be back."

I ran back to the house and grabbed the metal frame. It was probably close to twenty pounds. After adding padding, leather, straps, and other things, it should be pushing thirty five pounds.

"Like it so far?" I asked Solo, holding up the half finished saddle for him to see.

He snorted and I walked up next to him, lifting it onto his back. It fit perfectly, making me smile. It was nice and snug and fit his shoulders and the curve of his back greatly, not rocking or shifting or anything. I'd have to be careful to put on the padding and leather in perfect, even, layers. I pulled off the frame, then headed back to the house to finish the saddle.

It was ten minutes to midnight when I stepped away from the completed saddle. With the extra scraps of metal and leather, I had made all his cinches and scraps and stirrups. Rubbing at my tired eyes, I examined the piece of equipment. It was perfectly balanced and I had been very careful not to change the perfect fit of the bottom of the saddle. Putting away the extra scraps of metal and leather, I headed up stairs, pulled off my boots, then climbed into bed. I was asleep before my head hit the pillow.

At the crack of dawn the next morning, I ran downstairs and grabbed the saddle. I was eager to get it on Solo and test it out. Putting it on the bench press bench, I mounted it to get a feel for it. I leaned to the side like I would if Solo was turning and I was balancing him out. I slipped on the slippery material and the stirrup alone couldn't hold me up. I slipped off the saddle and fell onto the floor. That would've been bad if we were in the air. Thinking of a quick solution, I attached two metal hooks to either side of the handle, then made two leather straps to hook myself to the saddle. Trying it again, I leaned to the side, all my weight in the left stirrup. The right strap pulled taunt, keeping me from falling back to the ground. I smiled and leaned the other way. Perfect. I'd also need a way to communicate with Solo so we didn't get confused. I'd have to teach him some commands.

Loading a few pieces of scrap metal, leather, and meat into the backpack, just in case I needed it, then grabbed the thirty pound saddle.

"Well? What do you think?" I smiled, setting the saddle in front of him.

He sniffed it and looked it over, then snorted in satisfaction. I grinned and hoisted it up onto his back. After pulling the cinch tight and strapping on his belly cinch and breast collar, I stepped back to look at him.

"You are one handsome reptile, Solo. You look very nice decked out in leather. I only know of one being cuter than you," I teased, then stepped up to his shoulder. "May I mount, my good dragon?"

He snorted and I climbed up his shoulder, stuck my foot in the stirrup, then swung up onto his back. I settled down into the leather and grinned widely. Sitting in this on the workout bench was one thing, but sitting up on Solo was something completely different. I breathed deeply, then took hold of the handle in front of me.

"Okay. Up means up, down means down, left left, right right, got it?" I asked him and he nodded. "Can you understand me?"

He nodded again.

"So you knew what I was saying all this time?" I asked, shocked.

Again, he nodded.

"Well that makes me feel like less of an idiot. Awesome. Up!" I commanded.

He crouched down, then launched himself into the air, keeping straight as I bowed low to avoid the branches. Reaching the tree tops, he leveled out and flew straight, able to keep his balance.

It was amazing. The sun shown down on my face and glittered off of Solo's scales. The wind blew strong, whipping my braid out behind me and ruffling my clothes. Solo's strong wings beat rhythmically behind my legs and his neck stretched out in front of him. His wings and tail made small movements, small calculations needed to maintain flight. It was fascinating. The wind was too strong though, I realized. Solo might not be able to hear my commands over the roar of the wind.

"Solo, right!" I called to him.

No response. I also realized that his frills surrounding the hole of his ears were closed to keep out the wind. I tapped his neck. One frill opened and he turned his head slightly.

"Right!" I called again.

He turned his head more, the frill completely opening, trying to listen. He wobbled slightly with his shift in weight.

"Right!"

He turned his head back around, then dove. The straps snapped tight as I slid back in the saddle, not ready for the drop. When he reached the tops of the trees, he abruptly tilted his wings and shot around to the left. I fell to the right, my legs slipping from the stirrups and my body falling over the side of the saddle. As I fell and the straps snapped tight, one rubbed against my stomach, leaving a burn. The only thing that kept me from falling fifty plus feet to my death were the two thin straps of leather. I clutched desperately at the two straps of leather and at the saddle.

"Solo, down!" I yelled at him, but he was already falling down through the trees, his balance completely thrown off and unable to get it back.

We were plummeting in a spiral down through the trees. At the last possible second, Solo managed to open his wings to act like a parachute and twisted around so he slammed into his left side to avoid crushing me under his right.

"We need a better way to communicate," I exhaled, dangling from Solo's shoulder. "You alright bud?"

He grunted and stood as I hoisted myself up into the saddle and detached the straps. I needed a physical way to get signals through to him, not just my voice. What if we had something like a bridle that they use with horses? That cuff! I could attach two pieces of leather to the chains and use those to get threw with my commands. It wouldn't be used like a horse's bridle because I wouldn't be physically turning his head. I would be telling him the direction with taps on the reins.

I jumped off of Solo and he righted himself. Fishing through the backpack, I came back with two long strips of leather. I found the cuff half buried under the leaves and strapped the leather strips to the chains. I'd have to get a more secure way of attaching them later, but for now, it could work.

"I'll use this to relay my signals, kay boy?" I asked, holding up the cuff.

He nodded and I hooked it on. I climbed back on the saddle and took up the reins.

"Okay, up will be my only voice command. Up, is up. This," I pulled back on both reins, "is down. This," I pulled on the right rein, "is right. And this," I pulled on the left, "is left. Got it?"

He nodded and I hooked myself to the saddle and tightened my grip on the reins. With a deep breath, I commanded, "Up!"

He launched himself back up through the trees and into the sky. He straightened out and I sat up, gripping the reins in each hand. I drew a deep breath.

"Kay boy, let's see if I'm a good counter balance," I murmured.

I pulled on the right rein and as he tilted his wings, I put most of my weight into the stirrup. The left strap stretched tight. Solo's wings extended fully, his balance perfect.

"Yes!" I exclaimed, pumping a fist as he straightened out. "It worked!"

Solo let out a roar, then did a loop. I grabbed onto the handle as I was upside down for a moment. I couldn't hold back the laugh as he leveled out and soared, his wings beating in a rhythmic motion.

My cell started to ring and I jumped, dropping the reins. I scrambled for them and caught the left, but the right fell, dangling from the cuff.

"Shit," I cursed.

Solo realized I had dropped his rein and in one quick motion, flipped back his head. The rein swung around and I reached out and snagged the end. My phone stopped ringing and it beeped, telling me I had a voicemail. I was pretty positive it wasn't Heero, so it wasn't important. Hopefully.

I pulled on the left rein and threw my weight into the left stirrup. Solo swung around to the left and then straightened out. We reached Solo's spot and I pulled back on the reins. Solo dove down into the trees, then landed gently on his three good feet.

"That was a much better landing," I joked, unhooking the straps and jumping down.

I took off his saddle and set it on a low branch.

"Do you mind if I leave this with you? It'll be easier and I won't have to worry about hiding it from Heero," I explained.

He nodded and I took the cuff off his snout, hanging it with the saddle. Then, I remembered about the voicemail. I pulled out my phone and opened it.

"You haven't turned in a single file, Maxwell. I expect all of them done and sent back to me by six tomorrow night," Une's voice yelled at me.

"Ugh! I need to go work, Solo. Be good," I told him and turned to head back to the house.

At the house, I grabbed something to eat, then pulled my laptop in front of me. But I couldn't concentrate on files. I kept thinking about flying with Solo. By the time ten o'clock rolled around, I had one of the ten plus files done. I groaned and shut off the computer. I wasn't nearly as exhausted as I was last night, so there was time to let the loneliness sink in as I stared at Heero's empty space. Snagging his pillow, I hugged it close to me, breathing in his sent.

…

"Hello?" someone called from in the house. "Anyone home?"

I startled upright, snagging my Glock from the bedside table. Holding the Glock out in front of me, I rubbed my eyes as I eased down the stairs. I could here whoever it was walking around near the front door.

"Preventer agent, don't move!" I demanded, jumping out into the hallway.

Sally laughed at me. "So intimidating," she giggled, motioning to my loose baggy sweats that I was holding up, half undone braid and half asleep expression.

"What are you doing here at," I looked down at the clock and exhaled in slight annoyance, "six o'clock in the morning."

"I came to check your stomach," she answered. "And what the hell happened?" she asked, pointing at the large burn across my stomach.

I frowned. "Heero probably asked you to come didn't he?"

"Yes he did. But it was a good idea. You never take very good care of yourself. Now, could you please put your gun away? You're making me nervous," she asked.

I tossed it onto the couch and she flinched as it bounced a few times. "And that's exactly why. And you didn't answer my question."

"It wasn't loaded," I responded. "And it's just a leather burn."

She rolled her eyes at me and walked up to me, looking at my stomach. "The entry wound seems to be pretty much healed. Have you been watching your diet?"

"Yes," I retorted.

"Then your stomach should be healed as well. You can go back on a regular diet, but do it slowly. You need to get your stomach used to digesting that stuff," she told me, stepping back.

"Awesome," I sighed. "Now if you don't mind showing yourself out, I'm going back to bed."

She laughed and turned to leave. "Oh, and by the way," she added as she opened the door. "Une wanted me to remind you that those files need to be turned in before six today."

"Ugh! Yes mother!" I exhaled in exasperation, throwing up my hands and heading over to my laptop. I pulled up my sweats that were starting to fall down and collapsed back into the couch, sticking my feet up on the coffee table.

"Feet off the coffee table, Maxwell. That's so gross," Sally chastised me. "I don't know how Yuy can live with you."

"Living with me has it's benefits," I grinned, pulling up the files.

She frowned, but then got it and shuddered. "I'm leaving now."

I chuckled as she closed the door behind her.

I was just finishing up with my fourth file when I heard a faint roar from in the forest. I hesitated, hoping that was my imagination. But then it sounded again, this time much closer and more pained. I stood and made my way over to the glass section of the wall out looking the forest. Just then, Solo limped out of the trees at a canter, his eyes wide and wild. Grabbing my gun, I opened the door and ran out to him as he nearly collapsed on the lawn.

"What's wrong?" I asked him, making sure that it really was a lie when I said the gun wasn't loaded.

A roar echoed out of the trees. It was from something large, like Solo.

"You're not the only one, are you?" I asked him, my voice quiet.

He shook his head as another roar called through the trees.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Flight 121," I said into the phone.

"_Flight 121; departure time 2:30 pm, arrival time 4:00 pm local time,_" the automated voice told me.

"I gotta go get Heero from the hanger in an hour, okay? Then I'm going to tell him about you," I told Solo as he lay sprawled out on his side in the leaves. "Promise not to eat him."

He nodded, his head moving the leaves like a snow angel. I patted his forearm and stood, hoisting the backpack up onto my shoulders.

I had made the decision to tell Heero about Solo just that morning as we were flying. Solo's trust in me was so strong, made even stronger by the fact that he trusts me to keep him balanced and airborne while hundreds of feet above ground. I hoped that that trust extended to introducing him to strangers. I wasn't worried about Solo, but about Heero. That small possibility that Solo could lose it and attack Heero still pricked at the back of my mind.

As I turned to walk away, Solo quickly flipped onto his feet and jumped over my head to stop me, causing me to duck reflexively.

"What?" I asked him.

He trotted over to the tree and nosed the saddle.

"But we just went flying," I pointed out.

He nosed it again.

"We can go flying after I get Heero. I need to leave in twenty minutes," I told him and he pouted, plopping down into his butt.

After getting home, I grabbed some of the file folders Une had sent me, then found the truck keys and left. I pulled into the parking garage and dumped the files onto Une's empty desk before heading out to the hanger. The shuttle landed just as I entered the large building. The pilot opened the hatch and the men started to file out, closely followed by Heero. He looked completely exhausted.

I jogged up to him and looked him over.

"How are you?" I asked him as I checked him over for injuries.

He pulled up my chin and pressed his lips to mine.

"I'm fine. I just want to get the hell out of here," he exhaled.

I laughed. "After we get the shuttle unloaded—"

"That's what a team is for. Let's go," he urged.

I nodded, putting an arm around his waist and walking with him out to the truck. He was leaning on me heavily.

"So how was the mission?" I asked him as I started the truck.

"Intense. They were heavily guarded and it was insanely difficult to get and keep me and seven other men undercover. We had absolutely no down time and were constantly moving," he responded, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

"How much sleep did you get?" I asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Uh, I don't know, four hours," he responded.

"Four hours a night?"

"No, four hours total. I love hearing your voice babe, but if you don't mind, I'm going to sleep now," he sighed.

"Four hours _total?_!" I questioned in shock, but he was already asleep.

I sighed and shook my head. Taking his lax hand in mine, I turned my attention back to the road. When we pulled into the front of the house, I shut off the engine and just sat there, not wanting to wake Heero.

"I missed you," I told his sleeping form, kissing the hand I was still holding.

"I missed you too," he answered.

I jumped. "Uh, we're home," I pointed out.

"I've noticed," he replied, opening his cobalt eyes and climbing out of the truck.

"Are you hungry?" I asked him as we walked into the house.

"No, not really," he answered.

"Uh, you need anything?"

"You're hovering, babe," he chuckled as he pulled off his coat and shirt at the doorway of the bedroom. "I'm fine, really. Just exhausted."

He kicked off his combat boots and crawled into bed, asleep before his head hit the pillow. I stood in the doorway for a moment, not sure what to do now. Usually after missions, we got caught up, went to dinner, did _something._ This was unusual. Remembering my promised flight with Solo, I drew the blinds closed and closed the door.

"No boyfriend yet," I told Solo as I walked up to him. "He's completely exhausted. He slept four hours in the last four days. He'll probably be asleep until tomorrow morning," I explained, grabbing his saddle and putting it on his back.

While I was cinching him up, he stuck his snout into the cuff and managed to snap it shut. Hooking on his breast collar, I pulled myself up into his saddle and took up the reins.

"Up!" I commanded and he took off.

Once we left the trees and Solo leveled out, something shook in the trees below us. Before I could look down, something was hissing.

I pulled on the right rein and we shot around, away from the hissing.

"What the hell was that? Was it that other dragon?" I asked him.

Of course Solo didn't hear me, but I assumed I was right. I pulled back on reins and leaned back, but when Solo shook his head and climbed, I lost my balance, the straps snapping tight as they held me in the saddle.

"What are you doing? You need to listen to me or we are gonna end up in a free fall!" I shouted at him as he leveled out.

I pulled back harder and yelled, "Down!"

Solo snapped his jaw and pitched his body, ignoring my command and putting on a burst of speed. I shifted both reins to one hand since he wasn't listening to me anyway and took the handle in my free hand. He started to turn to the right and I quickly adjusted my weight. He flew up higher, weaving this way and that as I fought to hold his balance.

"Solo knock it off!" I yelled at him. "You don't take me down right now and I swear to god I'll jump!"

He caught that and was suddenly diving through the trees. He ran through the trees until he reached my backyard, then let me off, pushing me towards the door.

"What was that all about?" I asked, instinctively in a whisper as if trying to keep from waking Heero.

He just looked around warily, pushing me towards the house.

"I'll be back later to feed you," I promised him.

He shook his head sharply, snapping his jaws, then pushing me firmly towards the back door.

"Here, let me unhook your stuff first," I sighed, unhooking his cinch and breast collar so that he could shake them off when he got to his area.

Solo walked back into the trees after I had entered the house. I checked the time and it was almost seven. I made dinner, then contemplated waking Heero to get something to eat, but then decided that he needed his rest. I pulled up some files and ate while I worked. Footsteps on the hardwood alerted me to Heero's presence before he sat down next to me and grabbed my plate, sliding it in front of him.

"Yes you may share my dinner, thanks for asking," I teased.

"Hn," he grunted around a mouthful of food, rubbing at his tired eyes.

"If you were hungry, I could've brought you some food," I told him, stealing a bite from the plate.

"I woke up, wanted food, now here I am. Simple as that," he mumbled.

I laughed. "Well after you eat you should go back to bed. You need sleep," I told him, sliding my plate back in front of me.

"I can agree to that," he nodded, grabbing another bite, then a kiss before heading back upstairs.

"Oh, did Sally come by while I was gone?" he asked at the foot of the stairs.

"Yes, she did. Thanks for sending a spy," I responded curtly.

"Sorry, I was just worried that you wouldn't take care of yourself," he apologized. "What did she say?"

"That I was healing fine and that I could ease back to my normal diet."

"Good," he murmured, walking up the stairs.

"Hey Heero? Do you have to work tomorrow?"

"No," he called back down the stairs.

"Do you want to, uh… do something?"

"Do what?"

"You'll see," I responded, avoiding the question.

"Yeah, I guess."

I nodded and he continued into our room. No going back now. No putting it off any longer. Heero was going to meet Solo tomorrow. Hopefully Solo will be a little welcoming. Same goes for Heero. I can't even begin to imagine how Heero is going to react to Solo. I'd have to show him how kind Solo can be.

After clearing the dishes, I grabbed my laptop and headed upstairs. Just because Heero was sleeping didn't mean that I couldn't be with him. I gently sat on the bed next to him with my back against the headboard.

Heero's computer beeped on the bedside table next to me and I looked over to see he had an email from Cain. I opened it. Since it was my second, it was probably something about the mission. And it was. He was wondering where the completed report was.

I pulled Heero's laptop into my lap and opened an older email from Une, the one that had the mission files. Pulling up the files, I completed as much of it as I could. There were areas that Heero would have to fill out about the mission, but I could do most of it for him. I responded to Cain telling him that Heero had crashed for the night and would complete the report some time tomorrow, then I put his computer aside.

Heero rolled over to face me and took my hand, all in his sleep. I smiled and moved my computer with his so I could curl up next to him.

…

"Please don't freak out. Let me explain before you react," I begged as I led Heero through the trees.

"What are you talking about, Duo?" he asked.

"Do you remember than night something crashed in the forest and I told you it was nothing? Well, I had lied. I did find something."

"What was it?"

"You'll see. You won't believe me if I told you," I told him, with a frown.

He was quiet then.

"You never promised me. Promise you won't react until after I finish explaining."

"I promise," he told me, but sounded wary.

We got close and I stopped him. "Did you bring your gun?" I asked him.

"No, but you did," he pointed to my waistline.

I nodded then led him forward. I stopped him again right before the spot. "Stay here for a sec. I'll call you out when I'm ready," I told him.

He grabbed my wrist. "What's going on, Duo? What's out there?"

"You'll see," I promised him, turning back into the trees.

"Solo? Where did you go?" I called.

Solo then stepped out of the trees, his lead low, teeth bared, frills back. He sniffed at the air, no doubt smelling Heero. Hisses were echoing from his clenched jaws and his eyes were wary and narrow. Crap.

"It's Heero, Solo, I promise. Calm down. I won't let him hurt you, but if you hurt him, I swear to god…"

Solo raised his head, his lips closing and the hisses cutting off, but he still had an aggressive look to his eyes. I sighed. Good enough.

"Heero! You can come here now," I called over my shoulder.

Heero stepped out from behind the trees and froze. Before I could try and introduce them, Heero grabbed me and pulled me away from Solo. In the same motion, he had snagged my gun and aimed it at Solo. When Heero had grabbed me, Solo's protective instincts over me kicked in and he lunged forward. I managed to get the gun back then turned to Solo.

"Stop!" I yelled at him and Solo skidded to a halt. "I said let me explain!" I wheeled on Heero.

"Explain. Now," he growled back.

"I found him wounded in a tree. I helped him and we kind of bonded. I've been feeding and taking care of him ever sense. He feels a strong attachment to me, Heero. He's no threat to me, and as long as you stay with me, he's no threat to you either," I reassured him.

Heero still looked disbelieving and wary, so I strode forward and pet Solo's head.

"See? He trusts me. The only reason he lunged a second ago is because you grabbed me and he was trying to defend me."

"Okay, so now what? You can't keep him," Heero stated.

"I have to, Heero. Without me, he can't fly. When he crashed, his shoulder blade was shattered and now he has very minimal mobility in his arm. Dragon's use their arms to balance, so without me to balance him out, he's flightless."

"And how exactly are you supposed to balance him out?"

"I… I ride him," I answered.

"You _what?_"

"Let me show you," I responded, moving forward to grab the saddle.

"I think not," Heero snapped, grabbing my arm.

"Come on, Heero, please? I've done it before. Why don't you ride with me?"

"I don't think so."

"It's so amazing Heero. Please? Just… just let me show you," I begged.

"And if you fall off at that height?"

"I won't fall. I have straps that keep me on. Let me show you."

Heero stared at me for a moment, then released my arm. I smiled and threw on Solo's saddle.

"You should ride with me."

"I'm not getting on that… beast!" Heero argued.

"Come on, baby," I insisted, pulling the cinch tight, making Solo gasp.

"I don't even want you on him, love. I'm not going."

I turned to face him, a frown on my face.

"Where did you get that saddle, anyway?" he asked me, stepping up to look at the saddle.

Solo hissed at him and I hit his shoulder. I picked up the breast collar and belly strap and started to hook them all up. "I made it."

"Impressive," he murmured.

"Eh, I guess," I shrugged, signaling for Solo to lower his head so I could put the cuff on.

"No, really, Duo. This is really impressive," he told me. "Beautiful leatherwork."

"It would be even more beautiful with you in it," I grinned.

"_I'd_ like to see _you_ in it," he told me.

"If I let you watch me ride him, will you join me?" I begged.

He frowned, thought for a second, then answered, "Fine."

"Yes! Thank you babe!" I squealed, jumping at him and capturing his lips in mine.

Solo pushed my back and we fell to the ground laughing. I rolled off of Heero and glared up to Solo.

"Let's go, you worthless reptile," I growled, climbing up his leg and into the saddle.

"I was right. Beautiful," Heero cooed.

I hooked on my safety line and took up the smooth leather reins, turning to face Heero.

"Watch and learn, babe," I grinned. "Up!" I commanded.

His wings flashed open and he launched himself up into the sky. I sat back deep into the saddle, lying low on the leather as he shot through the trees. Once he cleared the foliage, I sat up, taking my position in the saddle. The wind blew in my face, causing my braid to whip around behind me. I had him spin around a few times and do a few flips to show off. Soon, I took Solo back down so that Heero could join me.

"Kay, now your turn," I told him with a smile.

"But… I don't know how to fly him," Heero flustered.

"Oh, you won't be flying him. I'll fly," I promised then patted the saddle right behind me. "You get to sit right here."

"Oh, okay," he responded, climbing up Solo's harnesses and sitting behind me.

I grabbed his arms and pulled him up right behind me, wrapping them around my waist. I hooked a safety line to him, then hooked it to one of the hooks.

"Hold on tight, babe," I told him. "Kay, Solo, take it easy okay? We need to get Heero to like you. Up!"

Heero's arms tightened around my waist as Solo opened his silvery wings and slowly flew out of the trees. He leveled out and kept a slower pace as he soared through the air.

"This is actually… kind of nice," Heero told me, looking around at the sight.

"Yeah, especially now that you're with me," I told him, turning around to look at him.

He suddenly pressed his lips to mine. Solo pitched and Heero startled griping my tighter. I laughed and turned forward.

"You're going to have to let go of me while we turn though, cause I need to balance him out," I told him over the roar of the wind.

He nodded and released me as I pulled on the right rein and we slowly turned around to the right.

Solo kept it slow and we flew around for a while, watching the morning sun slowly climb the sky. Heero seemed so amazed. The look on his face brought a smile to mine. He was constantly looking around, taking in the sights.

"Good thing we live out in the middle of nowhere, or you'd have a lot of trouble flying without being seen," Heero said into my ear.

I laughed. "Hold on, babe!" I shouted as I pulled up on the reins and Solo did a quick flip.

Heero gripped me tight until Solo leveled out.

"And I thought flying Wing was thrilling. This is… this is amazing, Duo," Heero told me.

"I'm glad you like it. I'll teach you how to fly him and help him keep his balance so that you can come out if I'm gone or something," I promised.

"I'd like that," he nodded. "I have to ask though… How did you figure out that he needed a counter balance?"

"He tried flying after his wing healed and fell."

"So, you weren't on him when that happened?"

"No. But I was when I was trying to figure out voice commands and signals. Good thing I had the safety straps on. It wasn't without injury, though," I remembered, pulling up my shirt to reveal the large, straight leather burn across my stomach.

Heero shuddered. "What happened?"

"He couldn't hear me over the wind and he turned the wrong way. I fell from the saddle and he ended up in a free fall. He managed to get some wind under his wings just before he hit the ground."

Heero was quiet, so I turned my attention back to Solo.

"Kay, bud. I think that's long enough. Time to—"

Before I could finish my sentence, a huge mass of blood red launched itself at us. A fire red claw grabbed onto Solo's throat and another onto his right leg. Solo cried out and a jet of fire shot out of his throat at the creature. The creature shrieked, releasing its grip on Solo and falling back towards the trees. It had to have been the other dragon.

"Solo! We need to let Heero off!" I shouted at him, pulling back on the reins.

Solo dove back into the trees.

"What the hell was that?" Heero asked.

"Another dragon," I answered simply as Solo landed.

I threw off Heero's safety straps and thrust the gun into his hands.

"Get out of here," I told him.

He grabbed my arm. "What about you?"

"Solo can't fly without me," I told him as the red dragon's cries echoed through the trees. It was hunting for Solo. "Now go!"

"I'm not leaving you," he said firmly.

"Damn it Heero! Go! I have Solo, he'll keep me safe. But his balance isn't as good with a second rider and I'm not going to risk your life too," I told him.

I pushed Heero and he slid off, landing with a thud on his back.

"Sorry, love!" I called to him, and before he could get up, I commanded, "Up!"

"Duo!" Heero's voice called as I took off through the trees.

* * *

><p><strong>Please review and tell me what you think! There are only two more chapters so I'll post them both tomorrow night.<br>**


	7. Chapter 7

**Thanks for all the reviews!** **Here are the last two chapters. Enjoy! :)**

* * *

><p>Chapter 7<p>

"Where did he go?" I asked Solo as we slowly glided through the air. "Follow all my moves and don't do any of your own, kay boy? We don't want to end up in a free fall in this situation."

There was a screech from above as the blood read dragon dived at us. I quickly pulled on the right rein, then both, having Solo dive to the right. Then I yelled, "Up!" and he flung around and snapped at the red dragon. Solo collided with him and his neck snapped up as my body flew forward. I slammed into his neck, a sharp scale slicing my cheek. I brushed away the blood and repositioned myself as Solo started to fall. I pulled on the left rein and he managed to get his body turned and I shifted my weight. The air caught under his wings and he leveled out. I pulled up on both reins and then on the left. Solo did a flip, then at the top, he spun himself over and crashed with the red dragon, claws slashing and teeth tearing. Both dragons shrieked and hissed and snarled as they clawed at each other. One of the red dragon's claws swung at me and I ducked. The ends of the claws scraped across my back and down my left arm. I fought the pain and turned my attention back to Solo. Suddenly, the red dragon's jaws clamped down on Solo's snout, breaking the metal cuff and sending it falling, the reins ripped out of my hands. The teeth continued on into Solo's flesh and Solo screeched in pain. I pulled out my gun and fired three rounds at the dragon. The first grazed the top of its head, the second bounced off his scales and the third buried itself deep in the side of its neck. The dragon cried out, the sound like nails on a chalkboard, as his released Solo and fell screaming into the trees.

Solo hovered in spot, waiting for the dragon to return. We saw the trees rustle as the dragon took off through the trees.

"Solo, left," I told him, looking up at his head.

Blood dripped off his scales and into the trees below as he turned to the left and slowly made his way back to Solo's spot. When we landed, Heero was still there.

"I told you to go back home," I chastised.

"Not a chance," he growled back.

I unhooked my straps and slid off of Solo. Both of us nearly collapsed. Pain seared in my back and I felt the blood seeping into my clothes.

"You need to get that stitched up, now," Heero demanded, grabbing me and leading me towards the house.

"Wait, Solo…"

"He'll be fine. You are going to bleed out if I don't get those wounds closed," Heero insisted.

I gave in, unable to fight him. "I'll be back in a little bit Solo," I told him as Heero dragged me away.

Once at the house, Heero grabbed the medical kit and had me lie on my stomach on the couch. I complied and Heero wiped the blood off my back and started to stitch me up. I winced with every stitch as he continuously stuck the needle through my back. I kept my eyes on his face to keep my mind off of the pain. He was expressionless, like he was during the war or on missions. But I could see that he was upset.

"You're mad," I questioned.

"Yeah, a little," he said flatly.

"I'm sorry," I murmured, then winced as the needle went trough my skin again.

He sighed, pulling on tightly on the string and making me flinch. "I guess I was just worried. This huge creature appears out of nowhere and attacks us, then you turn around to fight it. Then you come back like _this_. Well, I guess you're lucky. I was expecting worse."

I frowned, then rolled onto my side to look at him. The thread pulled, but I stayed up, looking at him.

"I'm sorry babe. I didn't realize…"

"Didn't realize that I cared about you?" he finished angrily.

I laid back down and he continued on my back in sharp tugs, baking me flinch.

He exhaled and calmed down, sewing more gently. "I'm sorry, you just scare the shit out of me sometimes."

"No, don't be sorry. You're right. It's just all my life I've never thought twice about my safety or my life. I was always willing to give my life for the mission. I never had a life worth living during the war, and now that it's over… I guess I'm just not used to actually giving a shit about what happens to me. Not used to having someone else give a shit about what happens to me. I'm sorry Heero. I'll try to be more careful. I really will."

"How?" he questioned.

"I'll stay in bed until my back heals?"

"And after that?"

"Uh, I'll be careful when I ride Solo?" I tried.

"Let the dragon fight his own battles."

"He can't though, that's the problem," I frowned. "He won't survive if he can't fly."

Heero exhaled, tying off the string, then starting on one of the other slashes. "It's one of the things I've always admired about you. You are always so… free willed, such a go-with-the-flow kind of personality. But that part of you also scares the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry Heero, I really am. I'll try and take better care of myself," I promised him.

He nodded and leaned down to lightly kiss me.

"Don't scare me again, please?" he begged.

"Okay," I nodded as he turned back to my back.

When he was done, he sat back, then turned his stare to me. "Five hundred and twenty one stitches," he told me, his tone serious.

"Really? It felt like more than that," I teased, but when Heero frowned at me, I apologized.

He helped me up and my back felt swollen and stiff. It felt weird. Heero jabbed a needle into my back without warning and I flinched.

"Who know what kind of disgusting infections and diseases that dragon was carrying. That was an antibacterial injection," he explained. "Try and keep your back straight."

I nodded and moved to pull on my shirt, but Heero stopped me.

"You shouldn't have anything touching your back," he told me, then headed into the kitchen.

"You just don't want me to put my shirt back on," I teased, following him.

He smiled as he opened the fridge and pulled out some leftovers. "Yeah, that too."

I laughed as I sat down at the table. The motion made my head swim and made me very dizzy. I leaned my head on the table and closed my eyes. "I'm dizzy."

"You lost a lot of blood. Just hold still for a little while and try not to move too much," Heero responded.

"Do you know me at all?" I teased. "I can't sit still long enough to braid my own hair."

"I know. Just try."

"Got it," I mumbled into the table.

I felt Heero's fingers light on the skin of my lower back as he set a plate in front of me. "Don't eat until you start feeling a little more clear headed. Having food in your stomach isn't going to help the poor blood flow problem."

"Kay," I responded. "I need to go feed Solo and take care of his wounds after dinner. Do you want to come?"

"Of course. I don't like the thought of you out there alone with some crazy beast out for blood."

"I'm glad I don't have to hide Solo from you anymore," I said into the table.

"Why did you hide him in the first place?"

I sat up then, ignoring the pain in my head, so I could look at him. I wanted to tell him the truth. I hated lying to him.

"Well, it was partially because I thought you'd kill him or make me get rid of him. But mainly it was because I didn't want you getting hurt. He bonded to me really quickly because I helped him and bandaged his wounds. But I was afraid of how he'd treat you. I could just see him getting freaked out and attacking you and that thought frightened me. So I kept him secret until I knew he trusted me enough to introduce you," I responded truthfully.

Heero nodded, a thoughtful expression on his face. "How did you know he trusted you enough?"

"Because of his over protectiveness. That other dragon has been around since Solo has and every time he was close, Solo always made sure I was safe. The thing hadn't ever attacked though before today," I reassured him, sliding the plate in front of me.

"Don't eat too much," he said automatically.

"Yes, sir," I retorted with a grin. "Any more questions about Solo?"

"Not at the moment," he responded, taking a bite off my plate.

I hurriedly ate the rest of my lunch, then stood, my head throbbing. "Let's go."

He nodded and grabbed a rifle out of the gun cabinet. I loaded more rounds into my hand gun and grabbed the medical kit and led the way out of the house. We kept our weapons at the ready, moving through the trees as if we were in an enemy base. When we reached Solo, he was lying on his side, eyes closed and breathing ragged. He was completely out of it, which was highly dangerous. I ran to his side, trying to find his pulse. It was slow.

"Hand me a shot of adrenaline," I asked Heero, glad that we practically had a pharmacy in the kit.

He handed me a syringe and I shoved it into his thick skin, giving him the full dose, hoping it was safe to use on dragons. I felt his heart rate increase, then pulled out a needle and threat to work on his face. Heero stayed alert as I stitched the large gashes in his snout.

"Hey Solo? Bud? Can you hear me?" I asked him, trying to wake him up and avoid him startling awake and lashing out.

But it didn't work. He suddenly startled awake, flipping onto his stomach and snapping at me, his razor sharp teeth inches from my face. I stumbled back onto my back, the leaves and sticks irritating my stitches. Heero had aimed his gun at Solo and was cocking it. I rolled onto my back, then hurried to my feet to meet Solo's wild glare.

"Solo, it's me buddy. It's just me. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm trying to help you," I promised, trying to calm him down. "Heero, put down the gun."

He reluctantly lowered the weapon and looked around, still on edge. "Is he stable?"

"I don't know," I snapped. "He's not letting me get near him."

"Be careful," he begged.

"I'm trying," I shot back, dodging as Solo swung at me. "Damn it Solo! Down!"

He froze, his face going blank, then he laid down and looked at me with apologizing eyes.

"Good boy," I sighed, stepping forward.

A call echoed from way off in the distance and Solo tensed, moving so he was behind me and protecting me, growls rumbling deep in his chest.

"See what I mean about protective?" I asked Heero and he smiled.

"Glad I'm not the only one," he teased. "Now let's get out of here."

"Come Solo. We need to move you somewhere else," I told Solo.

He limped behind Heero and I as we hurried through the trees, guns at the ready. It felt as though we were escorting him, but in reality, he was escorting us. Once we reached the house, I took off Solo's saddle and he hid in the trees. He watched us intently as Heero and I headed into the house.

Heero gently picked the leaves out of my stitches, then washed the dirt out of them.

"You know," Heero said as he fixed a few torn stitches, "this is actually pretty fun."

"Really?" I asked, shocked.

"Yeah. When he's not freaking out, Solo seems very… kind, fun, playful. And I can see that he really cares for you."

"I think I got the wrong soldier back from the mission," I teased. "Because the Heero I know would never admit that something was fun."

Heero smiled and stepped in front of me so that he could kiss me deeply.

"Never mind. You're definitely my Heero," I grinned, kissing him again.

Heero laughed and headed down into the family room, pulling up his laptop. "But seriously, flying Solo was amazing."

"I'm glad you liked it," I smiled, sitting down next to him.

"Why is this report already mostly filled out?" he frowned, eyes scanning the computer screen.

"Cause I did it for you," I responded, trying to keep my back from touching the couch. "You know this really sucks."

"Then you should've been more careful," Heero retorted.

I glared at him, then found my computer and pulled up my own files.

"Why did you fill out my file?" he asked then.

"Because you were exhausted from the tough mission and I thought I'd help you out by completing as much of the file as I could so that you could sleep more."

He nodded. "Thanks Duo."

"No problem Heero," I smiled back.

I couldn't help constantly glancing out the glass wall to Solo, making sure he was okay and alone. He was pacing, occasionally coming out onto the lawn, but then bolting back into the cover of the trees. His limp was becoming worse to points where it was on the verge of collapsing underneath him. I frowned at that. It wasn't getting better, which meant that it was never going to get any better. I couldn't help looking at Heero's arm. He too had shattered his shoulder blade once and it was a tough recovery. He still had troubles with it occasionally, but it had almost completely healed. He, though, went through a month of physical therapy and his arm was in a sling the entire time, never using it unless it was with the therapist. Solo hadn't stayed off of it, hadn't had any therapy, and hadn't let it set right. His leg was never going to get any better than it was now.

"Be right back. I forgot to feed Solo," I realized, standing and making my way down into the basement.

Grabbing a few large scraps, I headed back up and out the door. Solo perked his ears when he heard the door open and walked out into the lawn. I tossed him the meat and he ate it eagerly. But when the call echoed off in the distance, he completely forgot about it and encircled me with his tail.

"It's okay bud," I reassured him, patting his shoulder.

When he calmed down and began to eat again, so I climbed over his tail and headed back into the house.

"He's really tense," I told Heero as I closed the door behind me.

"That's understandable," Heero responded, keeping his eyes on his computer.

I walked over and sat next to him, leaning my head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around me, careful not to touch the stitches on my back or arm.

There was a knock on the door and I called for Solo to hide in the trees, then answered the door.

"Hey WuFei," I said, letting him in. "What's up?"

"Une needs you two at the office today," he responded.

"I'm sure a phone call would have sufficed," I raised an eyebrow.

"She wanted me to see if you two were fit enough to come in."

"We're fine," I told him.

"You aren't," Heero called from the couch.

"I'm fine. It's just a few stitches," I retorted.

"A few?" Heero snorted at the same time WuFei asked, "I thought you had the stitches removed a while ago."

"Oh, not on my stomach. These," I clarified, turning around to show him.

"My god Maxwell! What the hell happened to you?"

"I tripped into a small trench filled with barbed wire while out on a run," I lied.

"Crap. You sure you're okay to come in?"

"Never better," I promised.

"Well let me put some bandages over those so you can put your shirt back on," Heero said, standing. "Because I'm pretty sure it's against Preventers dress code to walk around without a shirt."

I nodded and Heero taped gauze over my back and arm. Pulling on my shirt and Preventers jacket, I followed Heero and WuFei out to his car.

"Why does Une want us at the office?" I asked WuFei.

"Because Trowa and Quatre were supposed to help oversee the placement of new agents, but they had an emergency mission so they're gone."

I nodded. "Hopefully it won't take too long," I said, thinking about Solo all alone.

"It's just eight soldiers that need placement. It'll be quick," WuFei promised.

"Do I get one?" I teased. "Cause I wanna replace Walker. Speaking of him, I need to beat him for being out of line with you."

"Don't worry about it," Heero brushed it off.

"I do need to worry about it. He can't think he can get away with that shit."

"Well he was a good agent while on the mission, so don't give him too hard a time."

"He's my agent. I can give him as hard a time as I want," I grinned.

Heero rolled his eyes at me and I couldn't resist leaning across the seat and giving him a kiss. He kissed me back and only broke off when WuFei cleared his throat. I laughed and leaned back against my seat, but then jumped forward again, my back stinging. When we pulled into HQ, I followed Heero to Une's office and parted ways with WuFei at his desk.

"You wanted to see us?" I asked Une as we entered her office.

She looked up from her computer. "Haven't seen you in a while, Maxwell. How are you healing?"

"Great, but I screwed up my back. I'll need another week off," I told her.

She frowned. "How bad?"

"I tripped while out on a run. Fell into a trench filled with barbed wire. I don't remember how many stitches," I shrugged.

"Five hundred and twenty-one," Heero answered.

"That many? Wow. I'll need the doctor's report to allow an extra week."

"I'll fill one out when we get back home," Heero told her.

"You stitched him? Why not take him to the ER?"

"Because he was bleeding profusely. He needed to be taken care of immediately and I felt I was more than qualified."

"Alright. In that case, forget the report. I'll grant another week, but that's it Maxwell. I don't care if the next trench you trip into is filled with motion bombs, you're coming back next week."

"Yes, ma'am," I grinned.

"Anyway, we have a few new agents that graduated from their training course and need placement on field teams. Agent Winner and Barton were supposed to sort and place, but they had an emergency deployment and you two are going to fill their spots."

"Why do you need us?" I asked her. "Why not Fei and… someone else?"

"Because Fei is busy and I can't think of anyone else more qualified. Besides, you two were probably sitting on your asses doing nothing important anyway."

"I was filing and Duo was… healing," Heero defended.

"Well good for you. Now you get to sort. Have fun," she teased.

"Can I replace Walker?" I asked.

"No," she answered immediately. "Get going. The agents are waiting in Conference Room four."

I frowned in disappointment and followed Heero down to the conference room.

"Kay boys! Files and resumes," I demanded, plopping down into one of the chairs.

The eight men slid their files towards us and I gave half to Heero, then brought up a list of open teams on the laptop already on the table. We read through the files and assigned teams, then called commanding officers to make final decisions. The process took just over an hour before we had everyone placed. Once all the agents left the room, I shut off the computer and turned to Heero.

"Time to go beat on an uncooperative agent," I told him, standing up.

He sighed and followed me out of the room.

"I don't want to be there when you 'beat' him, so I'm going to find WuFei and tell him we need a ride."

"Whatever," I grinned, pulling out my cell and dialing Walker's number as Heero went the opposite way.

"Walker," he answered, sounding bored.

"My office. Now," I demanded, my voice firm and strict.

"Yes, sir," he responded, sounding slightly worried.

I smiled as I snapped the phone shut. I loved the feeling of being in charge. I entered my office and Walker was already there, standing in front of my desk, looking nervous. When he saw me entered, he straightened his stance, whirling around to face me.

"Why couldn't you treat my replacement with this respect?" I demanded, trying to appear angry.

"I treated Agent Yuy with the utmost respect, sir."

"Not what I hear, Walker. If I ever hear of you pulling this shit again, you're out. If you can't be trusted to follow command or respect orders, you are not only risking the safety of my men, but the safety of the civilians. You understand?" I shot at him. I had never been this firm with him, or anyone for that matter. I think I was scaring him.

"Yes, sir," he responded. "It won't happen again."

"Good," I smiled, dropping my commanding façade. "I expect a letter of apology on Agent Yuy's desk by tomorrow morning. You are dismissed."

"Yes, sir," he bowed his head, then hurried out of my office.

"Sorry, sir," I heard him mumble from outside the door and turned to see Heero walking into the room.

"So I didn't see any bruises," Heero teased, sitting back in the chair in front of my desk as I sat down in mine.

"Oh there were definitely mental bruises," I teased back. "You can't see bruises on pride."

He laughed, shaking his head. "He actually is an amazing agent. He knows that. That's why he's so… opposed to taking orders."

"We'll he needs to get the hell over it. And I know he is too. It's the only reason I refuse to drop him."

"You sure have threatened it many times."

"Well I can't let him know that I won't cut him. If isn't afraid for his job, there is nothing to keep him from outright refusing orders and going all mutinous on my ass."

"No one would _dare_ mutiny against Shinigami," Heero retorted, a devious smile on his face.

"God I hope not," I groaned. "When are we getting outta here? I'm worried about Solo."

"Now," WuFei said from the doorway. "Who's Solo?"

I couldn't lie anymore today. I hated it. And I'm sure WuFei would appreciate seeing Solo. He did worship dragons after all…

"Promise you can keep a secret?" I asked him and Heero threw me a shocked look.

"Depends…"

"I need your word Wuffie," I glared, following him down the hall.

"You have my word. And don't call me that." Getting his word was like him swearing on his own deathbed. That was comforting.

"Good. I'll show you Solo when I get back to the house."

In the car, Heero slid into the backseat next to me and pulled out his cell. My phone beeped. A message from Heero.

'What the hell are you thinking?' it said.

'Fei can be trusted.'

'You sure?'

'Have you met the guy? He practically worships dragons. I see very little threat from him. And he gave me his word. You know how much that means.'

'I guess. But I'm not worried about him. I'm worried about Solo's reaction.'

'He trusts me. I tell him Fei is fine, he'll be okay.' Hopefully, I added in my head.

'But Solo is stressed right now and is recovering from an attack. He might not be so eager to meet anyone.'

'I'll make sure he's fine.'

He didn't respond, and when we got to the house, he remained silent as we entered the front room.

"Stay here. I'll be back," I told WuFei and he nodded, still looking confused.

I headed outside and into the cover of the trees. Solo was completely relaxed, his head resting on his paws and eyes closed. That was a comforting sign. He wasn't worried or stressed, so hopefully his reaction would be somewhat welcoming.

"Hey bud? Do you mind meeting a friend?" I asked him and he opened an eye. "He won't hurt you. If anything, he'll worship you."

That seemed to catch his attention. He snorted, raised his head, stared at me for a second, then nodded slightly. I bowed to him teasingly.

"I will go get him, oh royal dragon," I mocked and Solo snorted, his lips smiling slightly.

I laughed and turned back to the house.

"Hey Wuffie! Come here!" I shouted.

"Don't call me that Maxwell!" he shouted in return, following Heero out of the house.

"Okay. You can see Solo on one condition. Two, actually… One, don't touch. Two, don't tell. Got it?"

He nodded.

"Also, some things to keep in mind. No sudden movements. No staring. No loud noises. Calm and quiet."

"What the hell are you about to show me, Maxwell?"

"Take a look for yourself," I smiled, leading him to where Solo was still sitting.

He gasped, then muttered something under his breath in Chinese. He looked at me, then back at Solo.

"What's his name again?" he asked.

"Solo."

"This is… I… Where did you find him?"

"He crash landed in a tree and I fixed him up," I responded.

"What's his intelligence level?"

"He understands us," I told him.

He stared at the dragon.

"An amazing creature… I know one of your conditions was that I not touch, but… may I?" he asked me.

"Ask him, not me."

He swallowed, then, "Oh great dragon… may I?" he asked, raising a hand.

Solo's eyes narrowed and then he nodded. WuFei cautiously stepped forward and placed a hand on Solo's snout. He breathed something in Chinese, then bowed to Solo.

"Is he tamed?" he asked me.

"Yes."

"Have you… have you ridden him?"

"Uh huh," I told him walking up to Solo and patting his shoulder. "I have to. His shoulder blade was shattered in his fall and in order to maintain his balance—"

"He needs to use his arms," he finished for me. "I know how a dragon flies. So you act as a counter balance?"

I nodded.

"A flightless dragon is a dead dragon," he sighed and Solo nodded solemnly. "These look fresh. How did they happen?" he asked, tracing the cuts in Solo's face. Solo hissed and backed his head away from the touch. "My apologies."

"We were attacked. By another dragon. That's what happened to my back. The damned beast dive bombed us."

WuFei whirled on me. "Dragon's are sacred creatures, Maxwell. Don't disrespect them in front of me."

"Sorry, dude, but that thing was a bitch—"

"Maxwell!" WuFei glared at me.

Solo snarled, sensing WuFei's threatening mood, and jumped in between us, hissing at WuFei.

WuFei's jaw dropped. "He's adopted you," he breathed.

"What do you mean 'adopted me'?" I questioned, stepping around Solo.

"He's accepted you as his master. Even in the legends, it's very rarely been done. Dragons are proud creatures and only rarely do they step below a human and allow them to become their master."

I looked up at Solo. "I just keep his balance when he flies…"

"And that's exactly it! His trust in you had become so intense, so complete, that he has put his pride aside and let you overstep him. You, Maxwell, are Solo's master."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

"And if I don't accept—" I started, but WuFei stepped forward and covered my mouth.

"You have to accept," he hissed under his breath. "That dragon has laid down his pride for you. You have no choice but to accept."

Solo was snarling at WuFei, but made no moves to stop him. WuFei backed away from me, looking back up at Solo. He bowed to the dragon again, then turned back to me.

"As much as I'd like to stay here all day, I need to get back to work," he said, turning back towards the house. "Oh, and Maxwell? Whatever you decide to do about the other dragon, promise me you won't kill it."

"No guarantees," I answered honestly.

WuFei frowned, then continued through the house without another word. I turned back to Solo.

"Was what he said true?"

Solo nodded, knowing what I meant.

"I didn't need you to do that for me. Being friends is good enough for me," I frowned at him.

He narrowed his eyes at me and I shrugged. "How are you feeling?"

He relaxed and lowered his head onto his paws.

"I'll take that as 'better'."

"Let's get back inside," Heero urged, looking alert.

I nodded and followed him into the house, just as the sun started to set. I continued straight up the stairs and into our bedroom, pulling off my shirt and pants as I went.

"I'm tired. I'm going to bed," I told Heero as he followed me.

"Me too," he answered.

We switched sides so that I could curl up against his chest and stay off my bad shoulder. But, as tired as I was and as comfortable as I was in Heero's arms, I couldn't fall asleep. It was slightly because of the pain, but mostly because my thoughts were on Solo. I was thinking about the whole 'master' thing. I brushed it off quickly. Our relationship wasn't going to change, I decided. I was nobody's 'master'. But the other thing that rang through my head and wasn't as easily brushed off… 'a flightless dragon is a dead dragon'. How safe was Solo out there alone, flightless, and injured?

I sat up, careful not to disturb Heero. Making my way to the window, I searched the trees for Solo.

"Is everything okay, Duo?" Heero's voice asked me.

"I guess I'm just worried. It's what WuFei said. That a flightless dragon is a dead dragon."

Heero started to talk, but a flash of red cut him off. Solo's roars echoed in my ears and I was bolting down the stares. I grabbed the rifle and ran out the door.

"Solo?" I yelled, cocking the gun.

I saw a flash of red bolt out of the trees and straight towards me. Before I could raise the rifle, Solo slammed into his side, flipping the red dragon onto the ground. Solo sunk his teeth into the red dragon's throat and it screeched in pain. The red dragon's claws came up into Solo's face and Solo stumbled back. I took the opportunity to fire a round at the dragon. The pellets dug into his face and neck and the dragon shrieked, then took off.

I ran forward to check Solo for injuries. He was calm, surprisingly, and there were no new wounds, not even ripped stitches.

"Do you want me to stay out here with you tonight?" I asked him, petting his nose.

He shook his head, pushing me towards the house.

"Do you think he'll be back?" Heero asked Solo.

Again he shook his head. That made me feel much easier about leaving him out here and going back to bed, but I was still a little worried. Heero put a hand on the small of my back, making my bare skin shiver, and led me back to the house reluctantly. But I did feel exhausted now that the adrenaline rush had worn off.

"What time is it?" I asked Heero as I clicked on the safety and put the rifle on the gun cabinet.

"I don't know. Probably about two, maybe three in the morning," he answered.

I nodded and climbed into bed on my stomach, pulling the covers over my head and falling asleep. I woke up to the sound of Heero moving around downstairs at six thirty. He had to go to work already? Une usually gave us a few days down time after a mission unless we had another mission coming up. But, as far as I knew, Heero's calendar was empty for the rest of the month.

"What are you doing up so early babe?" I called down to him, though he probably couldn't hear because my face was still mashed into the pillow.

"I have a debriefing in an hour and a half," he responded. "And I'm always out of bed this early."

"Not always," I grinned teasingly.

I rolled over and quickly rolled back, my back searing under my weight.

"Why so early?"

"I didn't schedule it. Une did." I heard his footsteps coming towards the stairs.

"Well when you get back, we can go flying. I'll make a new bridle where you're gone," I promised him.

Someone tugged on my braid and then Heero plopped down on his stomach next to me, propping himself up on his elbows.

"That would be awesome, but you promised me you wouldn't fly until you got better," he said disapprovingly.

"I never said _I_ would be flying. I'm going to teach you how to fly," I told him into the pillow.

When he didn't respond, I turned my head to look at him. He had a thoughtful, almost surprised look on his face.

"Really?" he finally asked.

"Uh huh," I smiled, rolling onto my side.

"Do you think Solo would mind me flying him without you?"

"He loves me, and I love you, so he shouldn't mind," I told him. "And the first few times I'll go with you incase you need help."

He nodded, playing absentmindedly with the end of my braid while he thought. I laid my face back down into the pillow and breathed deeply, still really tired.

"Well I'm going to go," Heero told me, standing up and heading towards the door. "Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."

"No guarantees," I mumbled into the pillow.

Then he was gone and I was asleep again. I was startled awake some time later by the sound of the bedroom door opening. I grabbed the gun from the side table and flipped over to point the gun at the intruder, ignoring the pain in my back. Heero raised up his hands, a smile on his face. I exhaled, putting away the gun and sitting up.

"Crap," I murmured. "I never made the bridle."

He held up a thin leather strap with two longer straps connected to it. The thin strap had a buckle on one end.

"I noticed," he grinned. "I don't know much about bridles, but I made this for you. I made the cuff from leather and so it sits further back on his nose so that he can open his mouth if he needs too."

"Thanks babe," I smiled, pulling on my jeans and sticking the gun in my belt.

I grabbed some scraps of the meat, then Heero followed me out to Solo. He handed me the bridle, then lifted up the saddle as Solo stepped out of the trees. Heero swung on the saddle and I showed him how all the straps and cinches went. I hooked on the bridle just in front of his eyes and buckled it tight.

"How's that? Bet you like that better than the heavy metal one," I asked him. "Is it alright if Heero flies you bud?"

He nodded and Heero smiled.

"Climb on babe and I'll show you what to do," I told him.

He sat in the saddle and reached down to pull me up.

"Okay," I exhaled, settling in behind him. "Take up the reins." He nodded, gripping the leather tightly. "Loosen your grip. We don't want Solo pulling you out of the saddle if he jerks his head. Good. Now, if you want to turn, take the inside rein and give it a firm jerk. You aren't trying to physically turn his head, you're just relaying signals, telling him the direction you want to go in. Once you see his wings start to tilt, throw all your weight into the inside stirrup."

"All of my weight?"

"Yeah. He takes sharp turns. If he doesn't appear to be taking as sharp a turn, let up a little. You just worry about balancing him, he'll match you."

He nodded and I reached around him to secure him to the front of the saddle and then strapped myself to the back.

"Don't worry about falling. Lean all your weight and these straps will hold you."

He nodded again and I wrapped my arms around his waist.

"His only voice command is 'up', so whenever you're ready."

Heero exhaled, took a deep breath, then, "Up!"

Solo launched himself into the sky and leveled out just above the trees. Heero kept him straight, too tentative to try anything. I chuckled, then reached around him to pull the right rein, then sat back. Heero hesitated when Solo started to turn, but then he leaned into the stirrup. Solo started to wobble.

"More," I told him and he leaned fully into the stirrup.

Solo regained control, then leveled out. I wrapped my arms back around Heero's waist and leaned my head against his shoulder. I closed my eyes, letting the wind whip my braid out behind me and ruffle my clothes. I released him when he commanded Solo to go right. A gust of wind hit Solo's wings and he lost control for a second, his body twisting. Heero's foot was jerked out of the stirrup and he started to fall. I reached out for him at the same time the straps caught him.

He laughed as I dragged him back up into the saddle.

"Well that was exciting," he laughed.

Solo had managed to get himself straightened out, so now we were just gliding. Heero settled back into the saddle, then exhaled sharply when he saw the reins dangling from Solo's snout.

"How am I supposed to get those back?" he asked me.

"Hold out your hands," I told him. "Solo! Reins!"

Solo snapped back his head and the reins flew back and Heero reached out to grab them.

"Interesting," Heero grinned, then frowned. "How do I get him to land?"

I reached around him and put my hands over his still on the reins. I pulled back on the reins and solo dove down onto our lawn.

"That was… that was amazing, Duo. Thanks for sharing that with me."

I suddenly had a thought. "What if we capture that red dragon and tame him?"

"What? You are not going to do anything with that beast," Heero warned, turning to look at me.

"I wasn't thinking me. I already have a dragon," I hinted.

"You think I should tame that thing?"

"Well, either we tame it or kill it. It won't stop bugging us until on of those two things happens. And I really don't want to kill it."

Heero thought about it, then unhooked himself from the saddle and helped me down.

"We'll talk about this later," he finally said.

I nodded and helped him tack down Solo. I gave Solo his scraps, then took Heero's hand and led him inside.

…

Heero was adamant in his decision to not try and capture the red dragon. I had other ideas though. I didn't want it loose where it could attack Solo when it pleased. I had to do something about it. When I said I was going for a ride, Heero volunteered to go with me. I could tell he was suspicious and couldn't convince him to let me go alone.

I heard the beat of wings before I felt the impact. I grabbed onto Heero as Solo flipped around to hit the red dragon head on. Teeth and claws clashed and flames erupted around us. When the red dragon dove down into the trees I had Solo pull his head around so I could take off his bridle.

When the red dragon launched himself up again, I unhooked myself from the saddle and jumped at his head.

"Duo!" Heero shouted at me as I hooked the strap around the red dragon's snout, strapping his mouth shut.

The second the buckle was secure, the dragon swung his head around and I fell from his head. I got one of the reins wrapped around my arm and wrist and grabbed it just as it ran out of leather. The rein snapped tight and leather dug into my skin. My shoulder popped and the stitches on my shoulder snapped.

"Stop!" I shouted and the dragon froze, hovering.

I made myself not look down, but I knew we were high up. I looked over to see Heero staring at me wide eyed.

"You just gonna stare at me or are you gonna come get me before I fall?" I asked him, trying to keep the panic and pain out of my voice.

He nodded sharply, still kind of shocked. But when he moved Solo over towards the red dragon, the dragon started to fight again.

"Stop him," I told Heero. "Let's see if he understands our language like Solo does."

Heero just nodded and sat back in the saddle. Solo's teeth were bared and he looked wary and unsure. I didn't blame him.

"Okay, down!" I called up to the red dragon.

It worked. The red dragon dove and landed with a jolt on the ground. The leather straps were longer than he was tall, so I too landed with a thud on my back. The dragon lowered its snout towards me and I raised my gun at it, as did Heero who was already beside me.

"Status?" he asked me, helping me sit up, his gun still aimed at the dragon.

"My shoulder might be screwed up, and definitely a few ripped stitches. Too bad Une said no more time off," I joked.

"I could probably get her to allow you more time," he promised, helping me stand.

"Nah. I've been out too long. I need to get out of the house before I go completely crazy."

He nodded and I turned to Solo and the red dragon.

"If we leave do you promise not to kill each other?" I raised an eyebrow at them.

They looked at each other and then Solo nodded. I gestured for the red dragon to lower his head so I could take off the bridle. Heero took off Solo's saddle and I placed the bridle with it under a tree.

"So, when are you going to train him?" I asked Heero as we walked into the house.

"Duo… I told you I didn't want him," he told me. "I don't have the time or patients to keep a dragon and he's dangerous. Besides, isn't Solo enough?"

"You're right," I frowned. "What if we ask WuFei if he wants him?"

"He lives in an apartment, Duo. I don't think his landlord will allow pet dragons."

"I'll bet you my next pay check that they don't have a rule written against it," I laughed. "He could live here," I suggested more seriously.

"WuFei is _not_ moving in. I don't think I'll be able to stand living with him. And he'd get in the way of our relationship," he added, pulling me into a light kiss.

"I wasn't talking about WuFei. I was talking about Ol' Red. I don't think I'd be able to put up with Mr. Injustice either."

"Well that's better. But that still means WuFei will be here all the time."

"I'm sure he wouldn't be _here_. More like flying out in the forest all the time."

Heero thought about it, then nodded. "Alright."

"I'll call Fei and ask him if he even wants Ol' Red."

"He needs a better name," Heero commented.

"I agree, but I'll leave that up to Fei."

I dialed WuFei's number and before he answered, there were some snarls and hisses from out front. I grabbed the shotgun and ran outside with Heero right on my heels.

"Hey! Knock it off!" I yelled at them, firing a warning shot to get their attention.

The dragons had been sizing each other up, growling and hissing at each other. Their wings were flashing and their frills were raised. They were snapping at each other and baring their teeth.

"Hey!" I shouted again. "You two knock it off!"

"Hello? Maxwell? Are you there?" WuFei questioned on the other end of the line.

"Yeah, I'm here. I just wanted to tell you that we caught the other dragon. Heero doesn't want him, so we were wondering if you would like him."

"Really? That would be amazing! I'd love to, but… I have no where to keep him."

"He can stay here with Solo," I offered him.

"Thanks, Maxwell. Can I come over and see him?"

"Of course, Wuffie," I smiled.

"Maxwell!"

"Sorry, see you in a minute," I laughed, then hung up.

My shoulder started to sear from the jerk and I noticed then the leather burns on my arm. I rubbed absentmindedly at my shoulder and discovered it covered in blood from where my stitches had ripped.

Heero led me inside and upstairs. He laid out a towel on the bed and told me to lay down as he hunted down the medical kit.

"I swear to god, Duo, you are too outgoing for your own good," Heero admonished as he knelt beside the bed and started to re-stitch my shoulder. "I don't think I've ever had to re-stitch your wounds so many times before."

"But that's what you love about me right?" I grinned, turning my head to look at him.

Heero nodded, a loving smile on his face. Just as he finished with the stitches and wiped away the blood, there was a knock on the door.

"That's probably WuFei," I said, trying to push myself up.

My shoulder screamed in protest and gave out under me.

"I think I pulled something in my shoulder," I told Heero, quickly standing up while trying to keep pressure off my arm.

"You probably tore the tendon. You need to get weight off of it or it won't heal," Heero said, pulling a sling out of the closet. It was his old sling from when he had shattered his shoulder blade, I realized. I had signed 'property of shinigami' across the front of it in Sharpie.

I slipped in on and followed Heero down the stairs. Heero opened the front door for WuFei and he hurried in. He seemed so anxious and it made me laugh.

"He's out back," I told him, leading him to the back door.

"What happened to your arm?" he asked me.

"Your dragon is a pain in the ass, that's what happened," I told him with a grin.

"Were you respectful? You need to be respectful Duo," WuFei chastised.

"He wasn't respectful to me!" I defended.

"Maxwell," WuFei glared.

I shrugged, opening the back door and saw the dragons fighting out of the corner of my eye.

"Actually… wait here a second," I frowned.

I stepped out the door and turned to the two dragons nipping and snapping at each other. Solo tried to hide his limp as he charged at Red. Red reared up and mocked charge at Solo. They were obviously messing around, not actually fighting. At least they were getting along better.

"Hey!" I shouted at them, failing to catch their attention. "Solo!"

Solo turned his head to look at me and Red took that opportunity to lunge at him, flinging him to the ground. I pulled out my gun and fired off a shot. They both looked up at me, frozen.

"If you can't listen to my commands and follow orders, Red, you're out of here. Got that?" I growled at him, wanting him to know that I was in charge.

He backed up off of Solo and sat down promptly, his ears perked and listening and his tail mindlessly sweeping the ground. Solo sat next to him, obviously babying his arm.

"And if you hurt Solo, you're out too," I added with a glare.

He nodded sharply and I smiled. "Good! Now, there is someone you need to meet."

He frowned at my sudden mood change then nodded again. Solo just looked confused. I turned back towards the house.

"Chang!" I called and he walked towards me with a disapproving frown directed at me.

"Red, WuFei. WuFei, Red. Chang is your new rider, or tamer, or master, or whatever," I explained.

WuFei bowed to the dragon and the dragon's face seemed to brighten as he bowed his head back. I rolled my eyes and caught Solo doing the same thing. WuFei walked up to Red and Red lowered his head so WuFei could stroke his nose.

"No wonder this dragon was giving you guys a hard time," WuFei said. "The Red and Silver Dragons are enemies. I'm surprised at how well they're acting towards each other now."

"Really?"

WuFei nodded.

"Huh… Wanna go riding?" I asked him. "Well, you'd need a saddle first…"

"I don't need a saddle. Do you ride with one?" he questioned.

"I have to. Because of Solo's bad leg, I have to balance him out, and without a saddle, I won't be able to stay on him," I explained.

"Oh, well I won't need one. I won't need anything actually," he explained, bowing his head to Red before climbing up onto his back.

"Hey, Heero! I need you to fly Solo!" I called to the house.

Heero walked out of the house, sticking a gun into his waist line.

"We just went riding," he replied, but put the saddle up on Solo anyways.

"Fei wants to go riding and I do too. I could probably do it by myself if you don't—"

"No, it's fine," Heero cut me off.

I smiled and put on Solo's bridle. Heero climbed up into the saddle, then helped me up. After we were strapped in, I looked up to WuFei.

"You ready?" I asked him.

He nodded, taking hold of the thin ridge along Red's neck.

"Up!" Heero commanded and Solo bounded into the air.

I didn't want to ride backseat. Heero was too tentative and I wanted to show Fei what Solo and I could do.

"Hey babe? Move your foot out of the stirrup and scoot back a little," I told him as I slipped off the straps.

"What are you—" he started, but I was already climbing around him and settling in front of him. "Duo!"

"What? I wanna fly," I grinned as I hooked myself in. "Okay Solo, we're gonna try a new steering method."

He nodded and I took both reins in my one good hand. I pulled both to the right so that the left rein was pressed against his neck. "This means go right!" I pulled both reins to the left so that the right was pressed against his neck. "This means left!" I smiled when he nodded. "Now let's show Fei what he can do," I grinned. "Hold on babe!"

I heard Heero strap himself in, then I pulled both reins down and to the right. He did a quick spiral and was back underneath us before we could start falling.

WuFei grinned, then moved his feet so he was standing on the joints of Red's wings and took hold of two scales on either side of his neck. He looked like a jockey. A Chinese jockey on a dragon. He leaned forward and told something to Red in Chinese. Red nodded sharply, then dove down and to the right. He flew under Solo, then shot up Solo's right side, doing a loop around us. When Red was upside down, WuFei let go and did a flip past us, then landed back on Red as he finished his loop under us.

"Show off," I laughed as Red leveled out next to Solo.

WuFei smiled. "I know a lot about dragons, Maxwell."

I rolled my eyes at him turning my attention back to Solo. I switched places with Heero again to make him happy. After a while, we turned the dragons around and flew them back to the house. They landed gracefully and I slid off the saddle, followed by Heero.

"So? What do you think?" I asked WuFei as he jumped down from Red's back.

"Dragons truly are amazing creatures," he replied.

"Okay…" I snickered. "So what are you going to name him?"

"Nataku," he answered after a moment of thought.

"Nataku?" I raised an eyebrow at him. "Isn't that a girl thing?"

"It's a female dragon, Duo," WuFei informed me.

"Really?" I frowned. "Huh…"

WuFei rolled his eyes at me and shook his head.

"What? It's not like I checked," I shrug. "So are you going to keep her?"

"You don't mind keeping her here for me?" he asks.

"No. She can be a companion for Solo," I reply.

"Then I'll care for her."

* * *

><p><strong>So not much of an ending, but that's all I could come up with. Thank you all for reading and thanks for all of you who reviewed :) Hopefully it won't be so long before I post another story. I have quite a few works-in-progress, but none of it seems finishable... But anyway, until then, see ya! <strong>


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